


Snow After Fire

by Amehika



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Conflicting Feelings, Dragon/Knight AU, Incest, Knight!Dante, M/M, Partial Memory Loss, Slow Burn, Twincest, dragon!Vergil, possessive vergil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:15:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 54,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26161750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amehika/pseuds/Amehika
Summary: Dragons are dangerous beings. That much is obvious.But to meet one is a different matter.So is realizing that the dragon will never let him go.(Dante, a knight on an errand, accidentally stumbles on a dragon's territory and finds out more than he's bargained for.)
Relationships: Dante/Vergil (Devil May Cry)
Comments: 47
Kudos: 250





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you [londonfalling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/londonfalling/pseuds/londonfalling) for helping me edit this! 
> 
> And yes, it's another AU. No thanks to my mind that comes up with however many more ideas like bunnies.

_Don't go to the woods when you grow older._

_Why? Why can't I go there?_

_Because there are horrible monsters out there. And you need to be safe._

_But I want to protect you, Mom! What monsters are you scared of?_

_There's no reason to be scared then. But there are dragons._

_Dragons? Are they powerful and strong?_

_Yes, dear. They are._

_But I can take them down! I'll grow strong and powerful so I can show them what I'm made out of! Those dragons don't stand a chance against me!_

_No, Dante... no, of course not._

* * *

"Don't go into the woods, they say. There's a monster in these parts, they say."

A few more curses under his breath and Dante pushes a few branches out of his way before making his way through the clearing. He brushes off the stray leaves that landed on his armor, checking to make sure no branches snagged his wear before continuing his trek.

"Right, I don't see any monsters here." _Not yet._ He silently thinks to himself, knowing how unpredictable the world is to him. So far, in this neck of the woods, he's encountered nothing that is of threat to him. There was a dark blue bird that got caught in a net and squawked for help that Dante untangled and set free, but that's it.

"Whoever thought of this as the shortcut to the next kingdom over is an absolute idiot." He grumbles under his breath, silently cursing that weird, crazy old man who told him about this being the faster, quicker route over. "How is this going to get me any faster than the other path? It sounded like the other way had places to stay along the way."

He spies a clearing with stumps and a water stream and walks towards it with relief. Thoughts of quenching his incoming thirst and resting his burning legs would do him some good. He looks at the skies and notes how the sun is slowly setting- and Dante sighs, silently wondering if he can use some of the fallen branches as kindling for the fire he needs to make.

"Screw it, I should call it a day and tell Lady I'll be arriving within two to three days." Dante mutters as he takes out his pack. At least he has food to last his journey; his sleeping bag and clothing all washed, and his medical kit neatly packed should he get some life-threatening injury along the way.

So far, so good.

Then he takes out a mirror (his mother's; it was one of the few items of hers he still has) to take a look at himself while the sun was still out: black hair and auburn eyes that can easily blend in with the crowd. He feels his amulet that's around his neck before closing his eyes to murmur, " _Mutatio._ "

He feels the cloak of magic shift and recede away before he takes the mirror shard, inspecting himself. White hair and blue eyes. Back to his normal self. He can probably keep this appearance since there's nobody else around these woods before he makes it out. Placing the mirror back, he looks around to get a better look at his newfound campsite to make sure everything is in order. He also looks to see if his hands are still gloved- he wouldn't want to get splinters when gathering firewood.

Water source? Check. Cleared ground? Check. A place for fire? Check. And food is not an issue to him; he still has some rations packed from the last town he went to for work.

All that's left is to find wood for the fire and he'll be good for the night-

-he feels a hum of glowing magic on the clear stone he embedded on his wristband and groans.

...he'll start after talking to Lady.

* * *

"My queen," Dante greets her with his typical salute. He can see her image projected from the stone on his wristband. The communication stone was an item a fellow mage crafted for him, Lady, and their allies to secretly communicate with each other in the past. Dante and Lady kept theirs; the others did not. "I see that you're faring well."

The black-haired woman warily smiles. "Drop the theatrics, Dante. I can hear you trying not to make fun of my new title."

"Well, I can't help it. You're the lovely monarch and I'm the lowly knight who you are in massive favor for." He laughs when he sees her embarrassed scowl. "I kid, Lady. I'm on my way here."

"Okay, that's good." Lady sighs in relief, taking off her crown before straightening out her hair. "Where are you right now? It doesn't look like the typical path to my place."

"Going through the woods."

He sees her grin whiplash to a gasp. "The woods!? Dante, are you insane?"

"Why, yes, my queen, this is the path I decided to take." He hears Lady hide a snicker at this and his lips twitches to a small smile before whiplashing back to his scowl. "I'm serious. It's either that or go through that one pathway that might take an extra day or two."

"Geez... you always do things your way." Lady grumbles. "Why is it always the rough one?"

"Because I'm a lowly mercenary who enjoys the challenge?" Dante grins. "You know how I am."

"Sure, sure. You really do make things worse for yourself, as I've noticed." Yet he hears her concern. "Really, is this a good idea for you?"

"Well, that depends on what I find on my way here. The best case scenario would be an uneventful trip. The worst case? Well, let's not get to that."

"Not yet, you mean." Lady thinly smirks. "You attract trouble, Dante."

"Oh cute. You and I know I can deal with trouble." Dante hums, looking around. "So far, my trip is not that bad. How are things over there for you?"

"God, you are crazy for doing this, but I won't stop you. And I think you know how it is over there." Lady closes her eyes and Dante thins his lips in concern. "I hate politics. It's all about war and trying to divide resources- along with trying to meet the people's concerns while appeasing people who I don't think deserve it... it's a nightmare."

"Well, hopefully I can be there in time to help sort out your mess." The mercenary grimaces. "But I don't know how far I can do for you. I only helped you with the shit involving your asshole of a father and how corrupt he really was."

"And I still thank you for that." The Queen sighs. "I really do; you're the only one who listened to me and I would really like to return the favor."

"Yeah, well, for a start, I want to know what idiots think they can leech things they don't really need." Dante mutters to himself. "You know I'm still a knight, right?"

"One who used to serve in the Army from a noble family; got discharged with honors even though you earned the envy of many; and you are now a mercenary with no home." Lady lists off. "Your reputation as The Dark Knight is growing."

"With good or bad reviews?" Dante chuckles, wondering what these people say about him. "Because they're wrong about a lot of things that they claim I do."

"Hm, and your faux name..."

"I get it, you think it's the tackiest thing I've made up." Tony Redgrave is a name he cobbled together when he threw his disguise on; Tony because of a name he found from a book, Redgrave after the city that threw him and his mother out. It was all that he had to go on.

"Well, I can't lie about the tacky part, but it works. And I know you don't like the attention you get if you're wandering around as Dante." Lady faintly smiles.

 _All because I look different than everyone else._ His obvious features make him stand out, no matter what he does. He had to endure through the scapegoating and bullying in his childhood; every night, his mother felt horrible and apologized to him, hugging him and kissing his tears away. It's only after his mother decided to move far away from the city that she revealed that his father - who had to leave her for reasons unknown - was not a normal man. That Dante had magic in his blood; fighting is a natural concept for him.

That he had a twin who followed in his father's footsteps, but Dante was told before because of safety.

Safety? Safety got him and his mother driven out of the city that used to live in. That same safety got his mother killed when she tried to help someone in a different town. That safety drove Dante to anger, silently swore to avenge his mother all because Lord Mundus (that righteous asshole from two kingdoms over) thought of her to be a witch and burned her alive.

And Dante wants to be the one to deliver that final blow to Lord Mundus and remind him of his mother's last words.

"Yeah, well. You know why." He mutters, earning her hum of concern. Lady knew of his plight. She's one of the rare allies he trusts. Anyone else is poised to scrutiny and doubt in his mind. Friend and or foe, he doesn't like to trust easily.

"Speaking of," Lady falls silent. "How's your left hand looking?"

Dante falls silent before glancing at his gloved left hand. He pries the glove off and frowns, seeing the delicately intricate seal etched on his palm. His mother explained to him that it was a seal Dante should protect and not let people see. But when he asked what purpose the seal served, his mother offered no explanation except a sad smile and a tight hug that serves as an apology.

An apology for what? He aches to know about it. The only other clue he got was the day before she left to help at a nearby small town, saying that he can cut the seal off with any other weapon but his own. But that offered nothing new; Dante makes sure his hands are always covered. He wants to find out about the seal on his own before choosing to break it.

"...still fine, still the same." Dante grumbles, narrowing his eyes before shoving his glove back on. "The sorcerer who I helped a few weeks ago told me it was a seal to store something. Even he wasn't sure what origin it came from. He was... helpful for honing parts of my skills, but he didn't do a lot."

"Hm, so... back to square one?"

"As in I need to find out more." Dante looks up to the skies just to make sure there's some daylight. "I know the last time I came to your place, Nevan couldn't find out what it is."

"And if I recall, neither did Ifrit or Morrison..."

Dante groans, "Really? At this rate, I might consult some shady looking hermit who can tell me what this seal is. Say, do you think that idiot bodyguard of yours know any?"

He hears someone cursing in the background. Lady laughs and he smiles back. Good, he can cheer her up at least. "I really don't think Beowulf appreciated hearing that from you."

"Eh, he can pay it back in a duel." Dante chuckles. "Tell the dipshit I want a rematch."

"And you'll get it. Don't worry." Lady sighs before clearing her throat, "So. The woods? Why are you going through there, you idiot? You know there are rumors of a monster that lives in the words."

"And by monster, are you talking about chimeras, ugly beasts, or demons?" Dante really wants to know what gets people spooked about this place. It's not of particular importance to him. He can get through it easily. The word monster is too broad; he needs specifics because he needs to know what he's up against.

Lady sighs, "It's a dragon."

 _A dragon?_ He perks up all of the sudden.

"There's stories about a dragon that lives in the part you're travelling through."

The mention of a Dragon makes Dante shiver. He's not sure if this is a good thing, but his blood pulses at the thought of finding one. He knows they are rare; disguising themselves among humans or hiding away before unleashing their true powers. Wherever they are, Dante wants to see one in its magnificent glory.

But he doesn't tell this to her. Instead he shrugs and says, "So? You know me well; I can take on anything that comes my way."

Lady crosses her arms, "Uh huh. Don't come crying to me if you somehow get caught and trapped in a dungeon somewhere."

"Oh shush, Lady, you love bailing me out!"

"Like hell I do!" But her smile says otherwise. "Seriously, Dante. Be careful and watch your surroundings. I don't want to lose my best friend to a beast bite."

"Cute. Like a monster can bite me to begin with." Dante mutters, his lips twitching to a fond smile over her concerns. As lazy and annoying he can be, she is worried for his sake. Dante genuinely appreciates that; he'll pay her back for the good she's given him. "I'll be careful, don't worry."

"Make sure to," Lady grins, gesturing to his hair. "Well, you know. Not everyone has your looks. You know, the white hair and blue eyes..."

"Ha ha I get it, I stand out with it. Don't worry, I know to disguise myself when I approach your palace." Dante salutes back. "Alright, I have to set up camp for the night. I'll check back tomorrow morning."

"Again, be careful!" Lady nods before the image fades away.

Dante softly snorts, a grin tilting his lips before he sees the sun setting. "Right. Gotta love the communication stone. Time to build a camp for tonight." He stands to stretch his limbs before walking around. "And maybe a walk around to know what I'm in for. This ought to be fun."

He doesn't see the large dark blue hawk looking down at him with interest before flying off.

* * *

There's someone approaching him.

Dante's eyes snap open from his slumber. His keen senses alert him awake, whispering at him to wake up, face this unknown, then go back to sleep. But he lays still, taking even breaths to fool the stranger approaching him.

Whoever is walking towards him is trying to be quiet. His footsteps can be barely heard, so it's something else that caught Dante's attention.

 _This...whoever this person is,_ Dante's hand curls on the dagger hidden under his sleeping bag. _Has magic. This is a problem._

Magic is rare. Only a select few possess them; inherited through blood or awakened by force. The ones who have magic learn spells that vary in strength: harmless spells that help the crops grow to the dangerous ones that can power a ritual to summon the greatest of demons.

Dante is the type who uses magic as the last resort. His magic- limited as it is- breathes a dangerous power: one to control flames and light. But only for a second. He doesn't know why, but his mother refused to say why he had a limited magic pool. (Like his seal and the missing gaps of his childhood; there's things he wants to know but his mother offered little to nothing.) The same went for his abnormal keen sense of magic. He would know if someone practices spells and sorcery in practice or war. He doesn't know how he can tell; it was another thing his mother refuses to talk about.

He knows using it now will expose him in his current state.

He discerns a shift, then the footsteps approach him. He closes his eyes, yet he can feel someone watching him.

 _Take what you want and go away._ Dante silently prays. _Please don't look at me, don't you dare look at me-_

He hears a sharp breath, then shuffling. Then-

"White hair..." A coarse voice murmurs.

Dante stills, eyes open wide. His hand grips on the dagger's handle. _Shit._

"...is it possible?" The person- male. It's a man. Who is about to do something since he is close and Dante can feel something feather his hair-

With sudden urges to run screaming in his mind, Dante flings the blanket off, dagger in his right hand, and lunges towards the stranger with a sharp breath.

But his about-to be opponent is faster. One of the cold hands immediately clamp around Dante's wrist, twists his arm and forces him to the ground. Dante yelps, the pain shooting and forcing him to drop the dagger on the ground. He hears the person kick the dagger and the weapon hits the rocks where the fire still burns. "You're fast." Dante wheezes, trying to get up, but the person won't let him. "What the hell, I thought this place wasn't inhabited?!"

"You thought wrong." The gravelly voice growls and Dante stills, feeling that irritation vibrate through his ear. This man is close, knee still holding him down, and arm twisted to prevent Dante from budging. "I live here."

"What sane being lives out here-" Dante grounds out, trying to turn his head to get a better look at the person that's holding him down. "Lemme- get a good look at your goddamn face, you bastard-"

"And if I do, will you run?" The person dares him to run away. Something in Dante riles up, wanting to defy him and show him he can fight. If he can reach towards his damn dagger and attack this dipshit with it before making a run for it- "Or do you **want** to see if you can best me in combat?"

Dante ceases his movements, not sure what's best at the moment: fight and then make a break for the nearest village? Or just sprint out of the woods with nothing else on him except for the clothing he has on right now? He groans, closes his eyes to try and think of a very cohesive plan so he can have time to gather his things, his sword, and his armor before making a run for it. Fuck these creepy woods. He really should have plowed up ahead, tired or not.

"I really just want some sleep." Dante grumbles to himself, feeling his face in the dirt. "Is that too much to ask?"

He was not expecting to feel someone rumbling above him. Dante's temper flares again. The nerve of this-

"Sleep? That's all you want right now?"

"Yeah, and I got somewhere to be in the next few days, so can you **please** let me go or whatever!" Dante grounds, feeling a vein throb in his head. He feels the pressure off his back and untwists his arm, causing him to grimace and finally stand, carefully brushing off the dirt before inspecting himself from the dim fire. He brushes his hair to its former state- nothing got caught in it either. "Shit. Thanks to you, I need a change of wear and a shower when I get to the other side-"

"Where are you headed?"

"Ha?" Dante turns to the person who decided to walk in on his sleep and stills.

He finally gets a good look at the man that manhandled him: Tall as him, lean and from the way he took Dante down, he must be well-built. Strange to see a man in this hour wear some intricate clothing fit for a noble. Dante freezes, seeing the man's white hair and blue eyes pierce him. His face is leaner, sharper than his is built; his hair is slicked back, shorter than Dante's hair is.

And this idiot is out here, in the dead of night to attack Dante.

There are so many things wrong with this image that Dante isn't sure where to start.

"...what do you mean, where am I going?" He glares at the stranger. "None of your business, and you didn't answer my question-"

"Now you are being difficult." The man glowers, walking towards him. Something takes over and Dante yelps, wanting to shake it off, but the man lowly snarls something in some unknown tone that Dante has never heard before. Dante's eyes widen when he feels frigid magic curl around him, wrapping around his body to secure him and preventing Dante from moving about.

"The sleep you wanted." The man snidely states, his smug smirk appearing. It disappears to a curious stare when Dante feels that cool hand gently brush his hair, eyes looking at his with fascination. "You interest me, still. I will not let you leave until I have satisfactory answers."

"Fffuck you..." Dante garbles out before he feels sleep takes over. The last thing he saw before his vision went black is the man staring back at him with a vicious upward tilt, a silent dare to fight him when he wakes.

_You're on, prissy prat...!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags are updated!

"Huh, white hair and... do you think-"

"Perhaps. ...this might be..."

Dante slowly lulls his head to the side, hearing muffled voices greet him. In return, Dante softly groans to try to get those speaking to shut up, let him rest, his head is hurting. But it catches the attention of whoever was in his vicinity, especially when he hears footsteps approaching his way. "Are you awake?" The voice this time is a female.

Dante blearily blinks, seeing his vision coming to focus and he feels bed-sheets. ...wait, bed-sheets?

"Where am I?" Dante croaks, feeling his body recover. His wear is loose, feeling a bit grimy. His hair must be all messed up- and his necklace is lopsided but left unblemished. "Who are you-"

"Hm, and here I thought you do look like Vergil for a minute. But you started to talk, so that changes things." The woman's lips twitch to an amused grin, seeing Dante shift and adjust himself to a better position. "My name is Trish. Used to be Beatrice, but it's stiff and suffocating. So I changed it. And yours?"

"...Dante." He feels as if a dry cloth was stuffed in his mouth. He feels like he was in a bar fight gone wrong. "I need water."

"Of course." Trish smiles back, handing him a goblet and he gulps all the crisp, sweet water he can get from the cup. "You look like hell."

"I feel like it too." Dante gruffs, wiping the water from his lips before he looks around. He's in a room that reminds him a bit of a castle's quarters. Sunlight lights the room and he spies the well-kept curtains and fabric that decorates the place. He turns to see the blonde woman with her lax dress and wear before spying a familiar creature perched on a nearby stand. "Hey..." He leans in a bit. "You look familiar."

"Ah, yeah! The guy who saved my sorry ass yesterday!" The hawk squawks and wow, this is a surprise. Dante's eyes widen, scooting back a bit and the bird cackles. "What's up, never heard a bird talk before?"

Dante is dumbfounded. Never in his life has he encountered a talking animal. Let alone a bird. This is making his head hurt. "...Uh."

"What?"

"You're right, I never heard a bird talk before." Dante mumbles, still processing this. _I'm in some weird dream, right? Did the guy last night kill me? Am I in some limbo?_ He looks at Trish with confusion. "I'm sorry- is this bird actually speaking to me?"

"Hey!" The bird squawks, sounding very indignant. "I can hear you loud and clear!"

"Oh shut up, Griffon." Trish glances at the bird. "And yes, he talks. Unfortunately, there is nothing to silence him at the moment."

Dante slowly nods, still trying to register what is happening before him. "So you said I saved you yesterday?" How? Nobody should have seen through his disguise; he made sure of it!

"Uh hello! I got caught in some net, I was screaming for help, you found me, got me out of that shitty rope trap?" The bird stares at him. "Do I have to remind you, Mister? You look a bit different now but I still gotta thank ya!"

Dante opens his mouth to protest when he stops, finally seeing the bird up close. The dark blue feathers made his memory click. "Huh. So that was you."

"See!?"

"I was not expecting you to be very chatty." Dante murmurs, humorously wondering something. "I'm curious, how did you get trapped in a poacher's net?"

"You got caught?" Trish asks, sounding amused. "How did that happen, Griffon?"

"Don't ask, Trish, but wait, that was a **poacher's** net?" The bird angrily screeches. "What- Are you kidding? Why would someone want to do that to poor old me!?"

"Well, your feathers will sell for a good value." This bird does not look like the hawks Dante has seen in the past. And he knows merchants will like the dark blue color feathers to use as pens or decoration. "And then there's the- heh, apologies for sounding morbid, but someone will like bird meat."

"Ugh! You know what? I'm very happy where I am, thank you!" The bird puffs up. "From what I just heard from your mouth, I don't ever want to leave this place!"

 _You're welcome, you annoying, chatty chicken._ Dante's eye twitches. He pinches his arm and holds back a pained yelp- yeah, he's awake. And alive. So he's not dreaming. Okay, fine. He looks around and then he glances at Trish. "So, I take it you two live... whereever this place is?"

The bird laughs and Trish sighs, shaking her head with a smile on her face. "Yeah, no shit, Shirley! The name's Griffon. You've met Trish- and Master Vergil too, from the way you're staying in the guest room. He must've carried you in here."

"Master Vergil?" Dante parrots, silently recalling the asshole who he fought against last night. "Wait, you both- hang on, is this a castle!?"

"In the middle of the woods that nobody dares to venture through for a good reason." Trish responds with a feline grin and Dante's skin crawls with silent fear. "Why, yes, Dante. We are in a castle."

Dante groans, flopping back on the bed with a groan. Ignoring the pillows and sheets that comfort his body, he looks at his bracelet with the communication stone and silently swears to call Lady in a minute. "Another question; where's the next kingdom from here? As in, how far is it?"

"About a good half day's worth, if the weather isn't too shitty. Or if you know the right way out." Griffon tilts his head and Dante stares back at him. "Otherwise, you better prepare for an entire day or two of being lost in this neck of the woods!"

"Great." _Not what I needed to hear._ Dread creeps within him before looking around him, "...and my stuff? You know, I had a bag with stuff and everything." _With Mom's things- where is it?_

"Oh, you mean-" Trish glances over at his bag that's laying atop of the chair. "That?"

Dante heaves a sigh of relief. Good.

"It's heavy as hell, by the way!" Griffon whines, "What the fuck is in that nasty thing!? I'm sure it isn't rocks or anything-"

"It's my armor." Dante finds the strength to stand and walk towards his bag, starting to rummage through it to make sure nothing got stolen. He takes it out within the order it says it, not caring if the woman and bird look over his shoulders. He checks to see if his armor was untouched- he's carefully condensed it with magic. "Clothes, skin of water, food-" He frowns, seeing one bag too few before recalling he ate it the night before. Then he shrugs and resumes, "Med kit and..." He feels the hidden area where he keeps his mother's treasured items before glancing back. "I take it that he didn't grab my sleeping bag along the way." Nor the dagger. The weapon was a dispensable thing; he can always buy another one. But the sleeping bag isn't there.

"He did take it... but then he told me to burn it." The bird says and Dante gawks, at this- wait, that asshole burned his sleeping bag? The fuck!? "Well, what can you do? Master Vergil hates dirty things-"

"What the hell, I needed that!" Dante notices something else missing- His sword. It's not there. "Where's Rebellion?"

"Rebellion?" Trish asks, a bit confused.

"My sword." Dante states, his irritation seeping in again. "Where is it!?"

Trish sighs, hands on her hips. "I knew having Vergil look at it was a bad idea-"

"Vergil?" He keeps hearing that name, and he wonders if it's the name of that asshole who snuck up on him last night. "He has it? Oh, that's it-"

"Wait, before you even try," Trish halts him and Dante turns back to her. "I suggest you wash and change your clothes-"

"Like hell I will!" Dante snarls, rolling up his sleeves and placing his boots on. "Where is this idiot!? He owes me for knocking me out, and I'm going to return the favor!"

* * *

Trish had told him that Vergil- the apparent Master of this castle- is in his study and that Dante can't just barge in wherever he pleases. And that the study is in the left side of the castle, but Dante can try to find Rebellion on his own; he knows where his sword is. He can feel it in unknown hands.

Well, whoop de fucking do, Dante can do whatever the fuck he wants because he needs Rebellion back. Then he's going to find the pathway out- he needs to reach Lady and help her through her mess. But right now, it's about finding this asshole and beating him up for that lovely little surprise he got last night.

Anger coursing in his veins, Dante stops in front of the door. He doesn't see the door being partially opened; he knocks on it-

-to see it open further, revealing a well-kept large room; there are a series of bookcases with more adorning fabric, books, armory. Walking in, he sees Rebellion laid out on a table. Dante sighs in immediate relief, striding closer to grab his broadsword.

"I'm surprised to see your rapid recovery, Dante."

He stills at the calm voice who greets him. Then Dante turns and glares at the man that stands against the wall, reading whatever book he has in his hands. He opens his mouth before realizing something. "I never told you my name."

"I know." The man finally looks up at him, snapping his books shut and he smirks. "Rebellion, on the other hand, told me everything."

Dante draws three things from this.

One, this man Vergil is annoying. Smug as shit, proud of whatever he did to Dante last night and can't give an absolute fuck about how angry Dante is at him. These people piss Dante off to no end and this guy is no exception.

Two, this asshole took his sword. What the hell did this guy do with it? Did he chip away Rebellion's sharp edges? Or did he use it as a paper weight? Whatever, he's going to find out.

And three, he has no idea what the hell this jerk is going on about.

He hears the man sigh, his smirk changing to a frown. "You have no clue what I'm saying, do you?"

"No, I heard you loud and clear," Dante walks up and sees Vergil approach the table as well. Dante tries to grab Rebellion, but he feels a hand shoot up and grab his wrist, preventing him from reaching down. Dante tries to budge, but the man- how strong is his grip!? He can't move! "The shit!? How are you-"

"Do you still want to answer me about your looks?" Vergil calmly asks, his blue eyes intently boring in Dante's. "You didn't answer my question from last night."

"Yeah, well, ambushing me in my sleep doesn't give me confidence to talk to you!" Dante grits his teeth, trying to get free, but the hand tightens around his wrist. "Let go, let go of me-"

"Not without satisfying my response, Dante." The man's voice maintains its calm displeasure. "I want to know."

"You can take that curiosity with you down to hell or whatever nightmarish place you came from!" Dante seethes back before realizing how much of a standstill this is becoming. Screw it. Screw this- "Fuck it, fine, I was **born** with it, my mother said that before she got burned at the stake, are you happy!?"

It should satisfy all inquiries, right? Good. Then why the hell is Vergil not letting go? And the hell does he look upset for? The man closes his eyes before opening them again, something lit in his eyes.

"Your mother," The man asks, "Did she ever tell you who your father was?"

"No!?" Dante responds, alarmed. There's more questions now? Is this man insane or- whatever, he needs his sword back. "She never told me. When I asked her about my mother, she looked upset and told me that I also had a twin who I don't know about- give me back Rebellion-"

He isn't sure, but he hears some semblance of a gasp or a hissing breath. Whatever it was, Dante doesn't care right now. All he needs is for this man to-

"One last question." The man asks and Dante glares up at him. "Your necklace. Your sword. When was it given to you?"

"When I was about to head off to the Army." Dante grits back, alarmed at how unflinching this man is. "At sixteen. When my mother told me Rebellion is a precious gift along with my necklace-" He gestures to the one around his neck; it's silver, adorned with a ruby red gem and one of the five items his mother gave to him before she died. "Why?"

Vergil closes his eyes, nearly laxing his grip. Dante tries to pry it off, but instead, something in him tells him to stop. He hears a low, soft chuckle before it evolves to laughter. It makes Dante shiver, balking in alarm. His mind tells him this is not good, but his heart is beating, trembling with something that is akin to a strange sense of relief and fear.

"Are the fates toying with me...?" Vergil murmurs to himself and Dante fears for the worst. He attempts to step back, but the grip returns with a fierce look in Vergil's eyes. He looks at Dante with an odd expression, one that Dante can't put his finger on. "Do you know who you are?"

Dante's eye twitches. Oh he will tell this man who he is, all right. "My name is Dante, former captain, fighter for hire. What more do you want?"

"Dante." Vergil murmurs, as if he is saying his name for the first time. He darkly chuckles, "Oh Dante. You have absolutely no idea who you really are. Do you?"

"What are you talking about?" Dante's magic flares up. A horrible feeling wells in him, silently telling him not wanting to give. It's one of his better (or worse, Lady can claim) traits; he is not the type to cave in so easily to fear. He wouldn't. He's known people in battles that have fallen because of frail minds. He can feel his magic unwind, preparing to burst through, even with the limited mana he has, just so he can grab Rebellion and escape.

But this man-

"Your magic-" He hears an awed murmur. "It has not been awakened, yet it..."

"I will burn you if you don't let go of my wrist." Dante grits, his eyes narrowing to a glare. "I swear, you better start tell me what is going on!"

The man closes his eyes to take a deep breath before letting go of Dante. The touch burns through Dante's skin, causing him to cradle his wrist, but the man's stare lingers. "I will, soon. But you can have Rebellion back."

"Thanks, I don't need your permission." Dante scowls, finally picking up his broadsword, placed within its sheath, still in tact. He frowns.

"I didn't do anything to alter your sword." Vergil says, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, well, this is coming from the guy who pinned me down and tried to attack me in my sleep last night." Dante snorts. At least he got his sword back. Now it's a matter of finding his way out of this castle and on his way to see Lady. "Thanks for the ambush- Vergil, was it? And now, if you don't mind-" He turns his heel. "I'm going to see myself out of this place." He was a few steps close when the door to the Study immediately closes and locks itself. Dante frowns, turning back to see the man approach him with a darkened look on his face. "Hey. Open this door."

"No."

"No?" Dante echoes, staring at him in confusion. "I hate to point this out, but I'm on an errand-"

"And you would leave me by myself?" Vergil growls, his hand clamps on Dante's shoulder and it starts to sear into his skin. "No. Not again. Not after I found you."

Dante silently adds point number four about Vergil: He's really strange. Insane, crazy, and-

"Not after I found my twin brother, all of these years later."

-what?

Dante stills, his fighting spirit halting and his eyes widen, mouth parting in shock. "What?" He echoes, trying to make sure he heard that last part loud and clear.

"You might not know how long I wanted to search for you." Vergil murmurs, softening his grip on Dante. "You're my equal, Dante..." Dante allows the man's hand to gently grace his face. "...my other half. You're here."

 _Is... he telling the truth?_ Dante's mind swirls, trying to keep ahold of his footing. It explains why they look so alike. But no, it isn't just the looks and appearances. His mother told him of another way to find out.

"The sword," Dante gulps, trying to keep ahold of his reality. _This- can't be possible. Can it?_ "The amulet. What I have- do you have something like it?" His mother told him that his twin would have the similar items he got: the same amulet, of a different make; a sword like Rebellion, one that would equate to his power. According to her, they were his father's gifts to him, a sign of his power-

He sees Vegil take out something from around his neck, the same amulet with a red gem, only adorned with gold instead of silver.

Dante gasps, stunned. Then he hears something akin to sheathed sword appear in Vergil's free hand and notices that it's different from Rebellion.

"Father handed me Yamato when I was sixteen, saying that I have the ability to wield its powers, combining it with mine. The amulet- a gift from my birth mother; my twin should have the silver- they are both to be combined as one." Vergil says and allows Dante to inspect it. "Do you believe me now?"

"I..." Dante tries to tug his wrist away, but his lack of a fight is evident, his shock overwhelming his urge to punch Vergil away and run. This is him: his twin brother. The one who left with his Father, leaving him and his Mother behind? That last thought made him surge with anger before he grits his teeth, his urge to fight renewing. "I will believe you if you can tell me something that's just hit me."

Vergil stiffens before his eyes narrow. His grip doesn't let off, but his voice seethes, "What do you want to know, brother mine?"

Dante will ignore that 'mine' Vergil tacked on his name. Instead he asks, "Why didn't you come back for me and **our** mother if you said you tried looking for us?"

There's a stifling, tense silence that lands between the two of them.

And Vergil speaks, but his response comes out soft, warning. "...do you want to know? Why our Father forbade me to rush out and search for both of you for so long?"

_He- what?_

"That there is indeed a reason why I was forced in the position I was in for years..." Vergil closes his eyes, loosening his grip from Dante's shoulder as he steps back. "You need to understand something."

Dante narrows his eyes. "Try me."

"It has to do with the side of you that has not been awakened yet."

 _What do you mean by that?_ Dante wants to ask, but refrains from asking.

Vergil continues after a pause, "Have you ever wondered why your magic hasn't grown to a level that it should be?" His eyes glowing and Dante feels the influx of magic in the room. "If it should be more than what it has been limited to?"

"...don't even try to stab me to make that happen." He's heard the stories of how some of those magic users awoke their magic. There is a trigger; usually a physical bout or emotional trauma. But Dante's is different. He already awoke his to a manageable state. He managed to use his first spell when he was five. His mother helped train him, hone his skills and Dante was able to use his magic enough to help. It was not to hurt, only when he was angry and furious at the world. When Dante got stabbed in the middle of a battle, his magic healed him, knitting his wounds to the scar he has on his chest.

"No, that won't happen, brother mine." Vergil's malicious, cunning smirk appears and Dante feels chills running down his spine. "No... yours, Dante, are to be fully awakened in a different way. And **I** know how."

Dante would want to know that, but his senses and mind are telling him to leave the room **now** , something is wrong, it's going to go wrong soon. But his stubborn mind tells him to wait and see what this bastard is up to, let's see if Dante can take him down at his lowest guard. "Then stop with the theatrics and show me already!"

"Show you? Are you sure about this? This is your last chance for me to tell you in this form."

 _Last chance? What is he on about?_ Dante scoffs, silently wondering if it's a good idea to use both swords- he has Vergil's sword next to him. He can use it, right? To see if Vergil's claim about it being their Father's birthright being correct and all. "...yeah, right, like some frightening form of yours can be worse than the monsters I've dealt with."

Vergil's eyes flash blue and he growls, "...don't say I didn't warn you."

"What do you mean by-" Dante yelps when he's blinded by a light, enveloping the entire room. Wincing, he barely opens his eyes when the light fades. As his vision comes to, Dante grimaces, rubbing it a few times just to make sure his vision is back-

-blue scales.

Shining blue scales greet his sight. Then he looks to see a golden sheen and he realizes the being in the room moves. Its spiky tail moving about and sharp talons make his mind recall the warnings the townsfolk and Lady told him before seeing wings stretched. Then he sees the beast's face and pales when he recognizes the blue eyes that open and hone on him.

_Then the rumors of a dragon in the woods-_

Dante pales, trying to find a way to haul his ass out, but he finds Yamato gone. Rebellion is still at his side, but his urge to fight is underwhelmed by his instinct to **run**. He takes one step back and the dragon snarls, immediately shifting close and he now notices that the tail moves to block his only way out.

That confirms what he's been wondering about these woods since he first came in. It turns out those stupid stories were real. And now he is face to face with a living, breathing dragon. Who is his twin brother Vergil.

"...there's many stories about a dragon that lives in this part of the woods." Dante asks, finally finding his voice after a minute of mollified silence. "That... wouldn't be you, by any chance, would it?"

The dragon's eyes narrow before a low, dark chuckle fills the room.

"And what if it is, Dante?" Vergil rumbles. "Would you run?"

For the first time in his life, Dante can now say he's scared. He's in trouble, all right. He's successfully found a dragon and he somehow managed to piss it off. He swallows the fear that somehow returns. "If I say yes, what would you do?"

The dragon softly snarls, his face lowering to Dante's level. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Dante mine. Not after finding you in **my** territory... not after my previous searches ended in vain." Vergil growls, "I'm **not** losing my only family member again."

Well, shit.

Dante has a bad feeling about this.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey Mom? Can I ask you something?_

_Sure. What's wrong, sweetie?_

_You told me before I had a Dad and... a twin brother. Are they ever coming back?_

_Oh... Dante. I am so sorry._

_Mom?_

_I can tell you, but Dante, please promise me something first._

_Okay. What's wrong, Mom?_

_Dante, promise me this. If you are ever in trouble, run. Your life is so precious and so dear to me; go somewhere safe. Do not let anyone dangerous get to you. Promise me, Dante, that you will value your life._

_I promise, Mom. I promise._

* * *

The air is thick. Dante wants to run. He really wants to. He's promised his mother years ago to run far away from many dangers in his life.

But being in the same room as a large, blue dragon that actually blocks his only way out. Wait. There's a window. And he can leap out of there-

"I suggest you forget all attempts to escape." Vergil's voice snaps that thought out and Dante snaps his head back up to glare at him. "Unless you want another way to exude your anger?"

"You fucking piece of shit." Dante seethes before he feels Rebellion's handle. An idea sparks in his mind. He clutches onto the sword tight and smirks. "Yeah, you know what? You're right. I **do** have a better way to show how ticked off I am."

"Oh?"

"Sorry to do to this to you, Vergil." Dante takes out his sword and immediately draws it. "But you should know how much I love to **fight**!"

He hears a recoiling snarl as Dante lunges towards the dragon, Rebellion in hand. He tries to land anywhere that feels like the dragon's body or tail, but he yelps when he feels the hard floor. Immediately yanking the sword back to him, Dante turns around to look for the dragon that wound up escaping from his view-

-but barely dodges the sword slash that came his way. Blocking it with Rebellion, Dante looks to see Vergil back to his human form. "Are you shitting me!? How?"

"I have the ability to change with ease." Vergil smirks, his eyes flashing daunting pride. "Are you offended?"

Dante feels the shivering magic that exudes from the other, but he shook it off in favor for trying to defend himself. He barely sees the blade Vergil held in his hand, trying to slash it away before yelling with a loud roar, finally getting him off. The metal scrapes against each other and it makes Dante wince, but he attempts to land a blow on him.

All of his blows are met with parries and clashing metal, every blow deafened with another blow. With some desperate attempt, Dante tries to punch his sword's handle and attempts to smack the other.

He feels a swift kick, forcing him to stumble and feel Rebellion fly away from his hands. Dante groans, his back landing on the ground as he tries to ease the pain. He doesn't hear the sharp metal pierce through the air and aim towards him. Dante's eyes open just in time to see Vergil atop of him, barely breaking a sweat, and the sword's tip sitting atop of Dante's throat.

It doesn't pierce him. Yet Dante waits for Vergil to land the final blow, eyes finally meeting his in a silent dare to finish the fight.

Another stifling silence and then Vergil states, "I'm not planning to kill you."

"You sure about that?" Dante asks, looking back at the sword that prickles in his skin. "That seems like a different story to me." He's seen the many looks of murder and blood-lust in combats before. The one Vergil wears now seems different for some reason. But Dante can chalk it up to another silent warrior's stare, unperturbed by death as if it should come naturally to him.

Vergil doesn't look back at him with that murderous stare. Instead, something odd flashes in his face when his eyes meets Dante's. "I don't want to harm you again, brother mine."

(There's something akin to fondness in his voice just now, but Dante swears he imagines it.)

"As far as I'm concerned-"

"Where are you planning to go?" Vergil demands, not letting the metal bite off from Dante's neck. "If you are in such a hurry."

Dante pales, trying to wrack his brain before he closes his eyes. Fuck, Lady is a Queen and Dante being there for her might raise so many questions. Oh whatever, it's not like Vergil would know her. Right? "There's a friend of mine who lives in a kingdom near the woods, I was on my way to see her. I owe her a debt."

He swears he hears Vergil seethe, "A debt? What do you owe this woman your life for?"

"I saved my friend's life from her asshole father. He was going to kill her with a ritual to amplify his own powers. And I stopped him." Dante bites back, eyes glaring at him. "Is visiting my friend a problem for you?"

"You speak as if..." Vergil murmurs to himself before prying his sword away from Dante's neck. But he doesn't let up from his stance nor pulls Dante off from the ground. Instead, he looks down once more and Dante's eye twitches at his nonplussed stare. "I'm still not satisfied."

"With what?" Dante asks, exasperated. "You got my answers-"

"Not the ones I wanted." Vergil states, finally lifting off and standing up. He hears the metal scraping against the smooth cover before seeing a hand extend before him. "Get up."

"...thanks." Dante doesn't take it. Instead, he pries himself off the floor, smoothing his hand over the aching muscles and shirt before glaring at Vergil. "Nice skills. I'm glad to know I'm getting rusty at fighting and my sword handling."

"Hmph." The other man frowns, his head tilted back a bit as he lowers his hand. "Your abilities are not up to par. If you can't land a single hit on me, then you have a problem."

"You're telling **me** that?" Dante grumbles, glaring at Vergil. "You're pretty strong, for someone who hasn't fought with anyone else-"

"I'll have you know I do venture out." Vergil glares at him. "I am more exposed to the world than you think. Not in the draconic form. You need to awaken yours."

Dante stares at him. "I'm sorry, did you say 'draconic form'? **I** have one?"

"So she didn't tell you who Father is either..." Vergil's eyes narrow, "What do you know about him, Dante? Aside that he has left you and Mother to defend for yourself for reasons you have yet to understand?"

"Not much." Dante echoes, his mind still reeling. He needs to pick up Rebellion and get out, but that can wait. He has more questions that have suddenly cropped up and one has to do with the Father he never knew. "He left me and my Mom when I was a kid... she said you came with him, leaving both of us behind. That's all I know."

"There's a good reason why Father asked me to come." Vergil quietly says, looking down at him. "You will know soon. But I can try to answer a few things you have questions about."

"Will you let me go after this?" Dante asks, narrowing his eyes. "Like I said-"

"You will **not** leave, Dante." Vergil growls, the draconic flash warning him not to push it further. "This, I will make clear to you now; if you dare to escape, I will find you and drag you back to this castle."

"And lock me up, like one of those stupid princess in many of these damsel in distress tales while you play dragon guardian?" The fighter taunts back, narrowing his eyes. "Yeah, right! I'm not some prize you can capture and make as your prisoner!"

"I will if I have to!" Vergil shouts back, his blue eyes blazing with anger and desperation. He stills before seething a curse, closing his eyes before taking a deep breath, Dante's annoyance blazing in throughout the room. Then he opens his eyes, looking back at Dante with the calmness he exuded prior to their bout. "...I said earlier I have searched for you. Do you not take it seriously?"

"I wonder about that." Dante grunts, ire that there's no way he's telling the truth. "If you did try to find me, then you could've known that-"

"Being busy with your life as a renowned, infamous mercenary, _Tony Redgrave_?"

That name makes Dante freeze, hands stiff and face pale. He looks up, meeting Vergil's flat, unimpressed stare. Then he creaks, "How do know my alias?"

"I believe you weren't listening to me when I said Rebellion presented me with moments of your life." Vergil cuts in and Dante wants to argue back, but finds that his voice died in his throat. "I take it that you don't understand what I mean."

"No." How can he? Rebellion is his sword, for crying out loud! How the hell can a stationary broadsword show Vergil his memories, out of all the-

He hears a testy sigh before Vergil glares at him, taking out the sword that knocked Dante out earlier. "Your hand."

"What?" Dante echoes, staring at him.

"You heard me." Vergil grits out, narrowing his eyes. "Present your hand to me. Do not make me ask for a third time."

"Are you going to lob it off or something?" Dante balks, mind still wrapping around the fact his newly presented twin brother is a crazy person who can transform into a dragon. "I swear, I will not like it if- Oh for fuck's sake, if you're going to be stupid insistent on it, then cut off my left hand!" He outstretches his left hand, looking away, eyes squeezed shut. "It's kinda useless to me anyway."

Vergil makes a sound of bewilderment. Then he hears footsteps approach him, sword unsheathed from its cover. "You really are hasty to think I will seriously do that." He deadpans.

"Whatever, you're holding me hostage." Dante grits back, trying not imagine what Vergil has in mind. He silently makes a mock obituary for his left hand, silently swearing to find an Artificer who can craft him a fake hand when he can bust out of the castle. "Shit, is this going to hurt?"

"Yes."

"Sheesh-"

"But only for a bit." Vergil quietly states and Dante feels the sword's blade against his palm- wait.

...wait. His hand isn't going to be severed?

Dante's eyes snap open, finally seeing the sword taunt against his left palm, starting from the base, his hand being held tight by Vergil's other hand. He was about to ask why, but then he sees Vergil's left hand wrapped in bandages. Dante pales.

"Wait, what the hell are you doing?" Dante shudders, suddenly feeling very scared. "Vergil, I swear, if you kill me while you're doing this-"

"Brother. I mean well." Vergil's voice is calm. Way too calm for Dante's liking. His eyes show worry and concern. The other hand tightens around Dante's hand when he tries to jerk it away. "You have to know." He closes his eyes before opening them again. "I apologize, brother mine."

"For what?"

"Our swords are a part of us, brother." Vergil responds. "They aren't just any weapon we were gifted with. It will hurt. Yet I have to do this." He looks down at the palm of Dante's hand. "To break the seal our parents gifted you."

"You know about that mark?" Dante balks, shocked. "How!?"

Vergil's eyes narrow, tightening his grip on Dante's hand. "I know more things than I could have wanted to now. That seal needs to be severed away from you. You need to know."

"Look- wait, Vergil. Can't we just talk this out or, I don't know, try **not** to do this right-" That statement is his last coherent sentence before Dante feels searing pain, screaming loud from feeling the sword running through his palm. He thought he hears something shatter, but he's too focused on the pain. Tears run down his face from the-

_"-erge, Verge! C'mon, let's play!"_

_"I'm too busy, Dante."_

_"You always say that! C'mon, before the sun sets!"_

_"Fine, fine, I will-"_

Memories flash through his eyes like flickering lights, causing Dante to gasp. His head feels as if a million shards are entering in his brain, attempting to put the pieces where it should be.

_"-an't marry each other-"_

_"Why!? But, but-"_

_"It's because we're brothers- don't cry, Dante! We'll always be together!"_

_"We will?"_

_"And we'll protect each other, always."_

_"That better be a promise-"_

_"I would never lie about anything like this to you-"_

Fuck, that happened!? No time, he feels the twinge of more memories course through his brain.

_"-going away for a while. To make one of them know- we have to do this."_

_"But Sparda, our children... what do we tell them? About us? About you?"_

_"We... I'll tell Vergil. He is more diplomatic and... I have a feeling he can accept it. You can deal with Dante's outbursts better than me. But I apologize, this was not planned."_

_"Sparda. Please... be careful- Vergil? Dante??"_

_"Mom...? Dad?"_

_"Mother? Father? What are you both talking about?"_

_"...Vergil... Dante. I have to tell you something- it is about you both..."_

Dante wants to learn more, but another flash and another memory plays, making him wince-

_"I don't want you to go-"_

_"I don't want to either, but you heard what Father said."_

_"But I don't wanna see you leave! Can't I do anything to make you stay?"_

_"Dante-"_

_"You promised me, Vergil, you promised we'd stay together forever!"_

_"...Dante... I..."_

And he feels his head reeling, trying to get a better grip on himself-

_"You did **what!?** "_

_"I... Dante was upset. He was extremely-"_

_"I don't care, but you made Dante different!"_

_"Vergil-"_

_"He doesn't know me anymore!"_

_"I'm well aware-"_

_"What did you **do**!?"_

_"I... sealed his memories away. Vergil, you need to-"_

_"Father, I want to go back, I need to see him again!"_

_"What's done is done. You'll understand why I had to do this when you get older."_

Dante wants to ask, but instead, a wincing cry escapes him. He doesn't register the doors opening and Vergil calling out Dante's name in horrified panic, cradling him in his arms. More questions arise and frantically buzz in his mind, but Dante doesn't get the chance to. More flashes litter his head and Dante tries to accept them all, but it's overwhelming; it's as if he's watching someone else's life and is now trying to infiltrate in him, making him accept it.

But he can feel something spark and blaze in him, snapping the thin threads that bounded to something hidden. As Dante slips to the embrace of the darkness in an attempt to heal, he swears he hears a faint whisper of his name.

"'m fine, Verge..." Dante mumbles before feeling something warm blaze through him, filling the empty crevices he thought to be missing for a good twenty or so years in his life.

Well, that's one mystery solved.

* * *

The first thing Dante feels when he awakes is a twinge of pain.

A soft whimper escapes him and he immediately feels something cool on his head, calming him. Like his mother's touch, he nearly cradles to it, mumbling, "...Mom..."

"Oh, that I was not expecting."

The shock in the voice, on the other hand, makes Dante realize he's not eight years old, nor is he lying in his bed with a horrible ailment. He blinks slowly, attempting to gather his vision before seeing a familiar set of curtains in a room he was in before.

Wait.

He has been here before.

"...fuck, I'm back on the bed." Dante mumbles, his head finally reeling in with some pain.

"Yeah? Well, at least you ain't bleeding!" The hawk squawks and Dante groans, closing his eyes at how loud the bird's voice screeches in his brain.

He tries to swat the bird away, but his right hand feels heavy. He tries lifting his left hand, but finds it just as heavy and taut. He looks down and sees bandages wrapped around it. "...the hell?"

"Finally awake, huh?" Griffon grins and Dante glares at the talking bird.

"Griffon!" The woman admonishes him and sighs, looking worried when she faces Dante. "We meet here again."

"I get that. Deja vu, but worse." Dante groans, his head back on the pillows. "Shit, I feel **horrible.** "

"Hm. Based on the scar on your chest however," The blonde woman stares at him and Dante immediately realizes his shirt was partially torn, exposing his chest. "I thought you could handle something like a cut on your hand."

Dante blinks before he sighs. "No, this one's different. It's a war wound." He glances back at her. "Trish... that's your name, right? Did you try to take these off?"

"Hm, I would, but I suspect you would have more questions if your shirt was completely off." Trish smirks, crossing her arms before she shakes her head. "No, that was all Vergil; he tried taking it off because your shirt's covered in your blood."

It was? Dante barely makes out the dark splotches on his white shirt. He silently curses himself. This will be a complete bitch to wash away.

Griffon groans, "Ya mean how Master Vergil panicked and asked us to see if you were still alive? Yeah, that was fun, trying to knock down that locked door. Seeing you unconscious and smeared with more blood made a very happy sight, by the way!"

"Oh hush, you know that wasn't his fault."

"Really? Ya sure about- ack! I get it, I get it!"

Dante falls silent, looking at his bandaged left hand. Why did Vergil do that? What did- oh ow, the incoming inquiries are making his head hurt again. He tries to open his left hand and winces at the pain that follows.

"I told him that was one of your very few clothes that you had." Trish glances at the other set Dante took out earlier. "Though to be fair, you did pass out from a simple cut."

"A cut from a sword, you mean. That hurt like hell." Dante grouches, finally gaining the strength to sit up. "Where is that asshole? I need-" He grimaces at another dull throb in his head. "I need to talk to him."

"Vergil's in his study again, but I think he told you to recover for the rest of the night." The blonde woman purses her lips, looking at Dante with concern. "You don't look so great either. For once, I agree with that idiot. Get some rest."

"Fuck that." Dante grimaces, putting more strength in his right hand before glaring up at her. "Take me to him. I have more things to ask him."

"Dante-"

"Please." He begs and Trish heavily sighs, looking at him with an annoyed stare. "I need to ask Vergil a few more things before I forget them. That's all I ask."

"Well..." She looks at Griffon before she sighs, running her hand through her hair. "Griffon, let Vergil know Dante's awake. And the idiot's going to strain himself despite our advice, but he wants to talk to him."

"Yeah, yeah, I think I get the hint." Though the hawk glances at him, lets out a grumble about stubborn morons (with Dante flipping him off in return). "Seriously, you sure? You don't- uh- think you'll save it for tomorrow? Because from the looks of how dark it is-"

"Griffon." Trish's eye twitches and the hawk squawks, flying away from the room. She sighs, glancing back to Dante. "I'm sorry about the hawk. He's an interesting one; always wanting to talk and not do much since we came here."

Dante nods, but he frowns. "You said 'we'."

"Me and Griffon." Trish's smile returns thin. "We're both in debt to Vergil for helping us."

"Huh." Dante narrows his eyes, silently wondering if both of them also have a reason for being in this part of the woods. "What from?"

"A... it's nothing." She gestures towards him and Dante swears for a moment she sounds like his mother. _Why does she look like my Mother...?_ "Come on. I don't think what you're doing to do is a good idea, but if you say you want to talk to him in this state, I can't stop you." She props him and mutters, "Really, you shouldn't be walking about after what just happened. Vergil won't like seeing you in this state."

"That dipshit of a twin can deal." Dante grits his teeth, feeling some stabs of light pain greet him. "If he knew how much hell I went through in combat and war before I left. The same for whatever bullshit monsters and idiots I had to deal with after. This... is nothing."

Trish huffs, "So you finally know how important you are to him."

Something deeper in him feels... relieved to hear this, but Dante is confused and lost.

"Oh, to you, it is a first meeting." Trish mysteriously grins. "But to Vergil, you are the missing piece to his puzzle. Someone he's been searching for a long time; ever since you were both apart."

Dante blinks and looks down at the ground, still allowing her to guide him.

"Vergil told me once," The blonde woman says, "That he wouldn't stop until he finally found you. I asked if that possibility extended to seeing you die from some horrible wound on a battlefield somewhere or if you died at an earlier age."

"Thank you, for knowing your confidence for my survival was high." Dante deadpans, hearing her hum. "What did he say? That he'd find my dead body and give it a proper funeral?"

"It's impossible that you would die first." Trish glances at him. "He said that you two are bound to each other. If you were found dead, then he would also forfeit his life to join you. He's searched for you for a long time." A soft chuckle escapes her. "Even if it meant earning your father's ire and risking your safety. And undoing whatever your Father tried to maintain for centuries... he is dedicated."

 _Seriously? He... would do that? For someone like me?_ It is really unusual and... for him, frightening. Dante only met Vergil for not even a day, yet Vergil knew Dante as if they were already connected. It is very one-sided in Dante's opinion, but he wonders.

The memories he got filled in a gap Dante never knew he had. But there were flutters of Vergil's thoughts that he glimpsed at; were those meant to be seen?

Dante falls silent, taking those words in mind before approaching the study once more. "Trish."

"Hm?"

"Why," He finally gets the better look and sees her features- and his heart aches a bit. She looks so much like his Mother, it is severely uncanny. Yet from her speaking and tone, it isn't her. His Mother died years ago and Dante knew she's never coming back. "Why do you look so much like my Mother?"

Trish's smile grows sad, regretful. "Your brother asked me the same thing... and I told him why."

"But why not me?"

"Because you might not like the answer." He opens his mouth to protest- "And I don't know you well enough." Trish's lips quirk to a grin. "Though I think that can be quickly solved."

Dante quietly snorts. That reminds him, he needs to find time to call Lady and let her know there's a massive hitch to his travel plans. "Right. We'll see about that."

* * *

Griffon is already in the room when Dante and Trish enter in. The hawk tilts his head, seeing the duo. "Huh, someone took their sweet time coming here."

"Shut up, you loud chicken." Dante mutters and Trish stifles her laugh. "You're giving me a massive headache. Are you always this obnoxious?"

Griffon squawks, ruffling his black feathers in annoyance. "No, but I'm a chicken now!? Excuse me, Mister-I'm-A-Dark-Knight! I'll let you know that-"

"Griffon." Vergil stops him from ranting and the hawk silences himself, grumbling something about having no respect for elders these days from the younger brats. His eyes meet Dante and he stills, seeing the state Dante is in.

"I'm feeling better now." Dante's says, despite feeling an incoming pain to his head and from his left hand. "Now can we talk?"

Vergil lets out a seething sigh, "No."

"No!? I made the trip from the room to see if you're okay and **now** you're shooing me away?" Dante witheringly stares at Trish, who flatly stares back at him. "Seriously?"

"You chose this path on your own accord." Trish says. "I am staying out of this."

Dante scoffs, playing it off. "Oh ha, this is really not that huge of a problem for me-"

"Seeing you in this state is a concern for **me**." Vergil cuts in and Dante looks at him, bit surprised. "You're injured. You are in no state to move about nor are you coherent to ask anything that you can fully take in without being in pain."

"Come on, I can-"

"Dante." Vergil's eyes flash and Dante stills, sensing something dangerous in Vergil's voice. "You will rest. And we will talk tomorrow, when you have properly healed." And his eyes trail down before glaring back at him. "Perhaps then you can finally clean yourself to a better state, brother mine, instead of gallivanting around in your current state of wear."

Dante blinks before recalling his shirt is partially undone. Recalling Trish's words, Dante smirks, tilting his head back, "Wanting to see me shirtless then? That, I can happily do-"

He stops when he feels something cool dash past him, hitting the wall with a **thunk**. His smile still frozen, Dante barely registers feeling a cut on his cheek. "-or not. All righty, then. Trish? Maybe I'll take your advice and get some sleep."

Dante hears Griffon cackle and he flips the bird off. He hears Trish huff, adjusting her hold before glaring at him with a strained, irritated grin. "See? Maybe you should have listened first instead of using your bullish head."

"Oh, now you are really being unfair!" She reminds him of Lady, only in the form of his Mother. "But fine, just... help me back in the room and I'll do something about this shirt." Dante glances at Vergil again, who decides to go back to his desk. But he can still feel his gaze on him, silently asking him if he needs anything else. Then Dante sighs, shaking his head. "Never mind. Just trying to see if you're feeling any better from seeing me alive and well."

Vergil blinks, blankly staring at him and Dante sighs, bowing his head. _Not a reaction about that either, then. He's a fucking Ice King..._

"Come, let me at least find you some proper wear." Trish pauses before staring at him. "And a proper wash- have you taken a bath as of recent?"

Dante stills. That was... about two days ago. "Uh-" He feels Trish pinch his arm and Dante yelps. "Ow! What the hell, Trish!?"

"Men." Trish mutters, glaring at him as she helps him leave the study. "All of you, impossible to comprehend your lack of hygiene-"

"Hey, I'll have you know I can clean myself well, thank you very much!" Dante bristles. "I actually want to smell nice. If you want to know how I've dealt with the worse dipshits-"

* * *

"Huh." Griffon flies closer to his perch on Vergil's desk. "You'd think, after being slashed from Yamato, Dante might get the better idea to stay put."

"I know." Vergil mutters, glancing at the spot where Dante was before Trish dragged him away. "But he's not the type to stand still. He never was the patient sort."

_Not even when we were children; Dante was full of energy._

"That explains it then." Griffon mutters, "I'm gonna take a nap- being in the same room as your brother wears me out."

"Suit yourself." Vergil doesn't care; he's relieved to see Dante awake again.

He closes his eyes, taking another deep breath before opening them, trying to calm himself from the surge of emotions. Trying to tell Dante how worried he was will come later; he did panic when Dante collapsed, blood spilling over the rug and smeared all over his shirt. It took a lot of restraint for Vergil to not barge in the room Dante is staying at- he was frightened about losing Dante again.

 _At least my fears are assuaged._ Now that Dante is alive and well, Vergil can return back to his tasks at hand. He undid the seal that locked Dante's memories; now it's a matter of trying to awaken his brother's draconic side. But he wants to know more about his brother first. If his twin has changed in interest, his desires, his wants, needs and likes. If Dante now remembers Vergil to be the same twin he had as a child - if he recovers their promise and how Vergil silently swears to protect Dante from the threats that killed their parents.

He grips his fists, recalling Dante's words on how their mother died. Then he recalls the images Rebellion presented to him; two stood out to Vergil. One being Dante's swears to avenge his mother against a Lord Vergil has never heard of. But the other one was seeing his brother stabbed by another sword, barely on the choke-hold of Death when his magic healed him, saving his life in the midst of a battle.

 _I don't want to lose you again, not again...!_ Vergil's breath is sharp, silently calming himself on yet another wave of impulsive thoughts. He manages to stay silent and meditate, trying to think of the possible questions Dante will ask. Then he thinks of the things he'll try to help his foolish twin with: one will involve awakening the draconic form Dante has, another involves honing his swordsmanship.

Oh what else? Perhaps he can try to tell Dante the other reasons he would want his twin to stay by him. Offering him protection would be a start.

_Dante smirks, tilting his head back. His shirt barely open, revealing part of his scarred chest in the moonlight. "Wanting to see me shirtless then? That, I can happily do-"_

Vergil opens his eyes, barely feeling his face dust with warmth before he wearily groans, feeling that same warmth pool down and invade his thoughts. Seeing Dante's taunting smirk sears in his mind; so were the adrenaline from their sword fight earlier. How close they were, how their blades clash, how much they lived for the fight-

_Damn. This might be more difficult than I thought._

"Incorrigible." He mutters to himself. "Dante, you... horrible brother of mine."

It has not been a day and he feels himself ache for more of Dante's warmth.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About a month later... enjoy!

The next day greets him with lights pouring down the room. Dante wakes up to the same room, feeling better. The pain in his left hand feels less sore, but Dante sees the bandages still wrapped around it. There are faint pink splotches and Dante silently wonders if his medical kit will expedite the healing process.

 _It might be like the one on my chest,_ He wonders, _Will this leave a scar too?_

Leaning down, Dante takes the spare clean bandages Trish left for him on the bedside table. Speaking of Trish...

Dante silently recalls that she looks so much like his Mother. The way she dodges his inquiry made him think; what did she tell Vergil she can't tell him? Thoughts buzz in his mind and he barely registers the door opening before sensing the magic seeping in. Dante looks up to see Vergil, who is holding neat, folded fabric in his hands.

What is he doing here?

"So, you're finally awake." His eyes draw to Dante's left hand. "Do you need help?"

"I can manage." Dante places the clean bandages away. "Hey, where's Trish?"

"I sent her out on an errand." Vergil responds, placing the fabric on the bed before glancing at the hand. "How are you feeling?"

Dante runs his hand through his hair, attempting to comb it. "I feel better. I was going to ask Trish is there's any more of that medical paste just in case the wound opens back up. If not, I was going to use the med kit I have." He gestures to his bag that is still propped on the chair next to the unused desk before glancing at Vergil. Dante sees Vergil crossing his arms, not satisfied with his response. "What, that doesn't make you feel better?"

"Do you always travel on your own?" Vergil asks, glancing at the bag.

 _Are you changing the subject? I thought that was my deal._ Dante frowns. "It depends on the jobs available. Or if I'm needed somewhere to help. My profession comes in handy."

"As a mercenary or as someone who will do anything for the pay?" Vergil glares at him and Dante blinks, swearing that Vergil sounds irritated.

"Both. I don't have a home to return to." Dante looks down, still recalling a paranoid villager burned their home after his Mother's death. A morose smile flits in his face, fingers curled around his necklace. "I have to make do with what I have when the war ended. So, I chose to be a fighter for hire. I can deal with the monster killing and guarding someone. If it's a party for a quest and they need someone to help, I'll fill in. It's just a floating job for me until someone takes pity and takes me in as a wanderer or hires me to be a knight."

Vergil's sigh returns thin. Then he gestures to the clothing on the bed. "Your clothing. I don't wear these, so you can have it."

"Wait, are you sure?" Dante picks up what he registers as fine, clean clothing before lifting one of the shirts. He balks, staring at Vergil with alarm. "This looks like something expensive! I can't—"

"I'm making you wear it. It's far better than your current wear." Vergil sounds frustrated. "Wearing just a white shirt and black pants won't get you far." He glares, daring Dante to protest. "You do know how to put it on? Or do you need lessons—"

"Shut up." Dante grumbles, his face red with embarrassment. He swears he spies something red in the pile of clothes. "I suppose this means I'll have to pay you back-"

"You don't. I can give you what you need." Vergil cuts in, leaving no room for protests. "There's breakfast downstairs."

"And yours?" He's wondering if Vergil isn't the type to actually eat any food and would hunt in his dragon form. "What about your food?"

"I already ate." The other responds. "And no, brother mine, it is not what you think. I have given you the other half of what I made."

 _Oh._ Dante blinks, looking back at the clothes with an awkward glance. "...good, at least you aren't some dragon eating deer from the woods."

Vergil snorts, glaring at him. "How kind of you to believe I would be such person."

Dante rolls his eyes.

"When you're done eating, we can talk. You said you have questions for me."

"I do." The memories are still in his mind; fresh and foreign. Yet they feel familiar and nostalgic. It's like Pandora's Box to Dante. He wants to ask Vergil if he shares these memories, if they mean anything to him. More questions come up: about their Father, their Mother, and the draconic side Dante apparently seems to have, but not awakened. His magic still flows in his blood, yet it feels like it expanded its limit. Apparently, the seal did some sort of dampening effect on his magic alongside his memories. Why would their Father do this to him? Why did their Father take Vergil, leaving him and their Mother behind?

Vergil straightens himself and Dante perks up. "If there's nothing else for now, then—"

"Wait." Dante calls out. "There is something."

"What is it?"

Dante hopes the question doesn't come out odd. But he wants to get an idea of how he was in Vergil's perspective. "How did you remember me, as a kid? I just... I want your opinion."

Vergil blinks before he thinly smirks, a silent reminiscing look on his face. "You were a complete brat. You were constantly commanding and begging for my attention. You didn't stop until you got what your heart desired, even if it meant exhausting my energy just to make you satisfied." He looks at Dante with that unusual stare again. "You've wanted everything I had, and I would give it to indulge you."

Dante frowns, feeling suddenly embarrassed. That made him sound like a needy kid. No wonder Vergil has some form of irritation to him. "Seriously? I didn't think I was such an attention whore." He wearily chuckles, scratching the back of his head. "Wow. Uh. That explains a lot. I must have annoyed you a lot back then."

"You did." Vergil nods, sounding weary. A pang of guilt hits Dante and he looks down at the floor. Man, if only he can smack that childish side of his and behave like a proper kid... "Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if..." Dante trails off, wondering if now was a good time to tell Vergil he's not going to trouble him any further. Prior to Vergil breaking the seal, Dante behaved well. He was trying to stay out of trouble because he kept being the scapegoat. His mother taught him to appreciate the most basic possessions; the pleasures in his life can come from what makes him happy. His jobs presented him the other side of being rich and famous: most nobles take things for granted.

Now that Dante saw his childhood memories, he was a greedy and spoiled brat before Vergil and their Father went away. He wonders if he was part of the reason they left him and their Mother behind. The guilt returns and Dante sighs, "...never mind, I was just thinking."

 _Was breaking the seal a great idea, Vergil?_ He wants to ask. His hand gently traces the bandage outlines on his hand. _All it did was make me hate myself more._

A hand carefully brushes against his hair and Dante blinks, seeing Vergil next to him with that weird, fond expression. It's not pity. It's that same look Vergil had when Dante dared him to pierce that sword in his throat.

"Thinking about what?" Vergil quietly asks. "You can tell me, brother mine."

That 'mine' again. What is the deal with that?

"It's-" Dante nervously chuckles, deciding to shift course. "Well, here's the thing. I don't want to impose on you for too long, so-"

"You're not going anywhere." Vergil firmly states and okay, that stamps on whatever argument Dante was going to build up. Dante's eye twitches but keeps silent. "Not until my inquiries are satisfied."

"If they are, what then?" Dante asks, narrowing his eyes. "You should know that I don't plan to stand around here forever being stagnant." The pause in Vergil's voice makes Dante realize he didn't think about that possibility. "Then I guess it means I'll have to answer all of whatever you want as quick as possible-"

"That will not be possible." Vergil suddenly states, the draconic anger rising and seething with his icy breath. He holds Dante's shoulder tight and Dante doesn't shake it off. Instead, he glances back, daring the other to test him. "You will never answer it all."

"Oh? What question do you think I won't be able to answer?" Dante shoots back. "I've gotten my memories. From the way things are headed, I suppose I have to try and awaken my own dragon form like you did. Is that the other thing you wanted to say?"

He swears he can feel the ice tickle on his skin from the other's breath. Then Vergil growls, "You will understand what I mean soon."

"Yeah, well, we'll see how much you can hold me down." Dante glares back. "I can't promise much from me either. I know— wait, I just realized something. I thought you got everything out of Rebellion."

"Rebellion can only show me what it deems to be enough. But I want more. I'm not satisfied until I hear it from you." Vergil simply states, slowly letting his hand pry off Dante's shoulder. "I'll let you get changed and eat. Then we'll talk. You will know where to find me."

"And how am I supposed to know that?" Dante asks, baffled. "I don't even know the layout of this place!"

Vergil's smirk was not gracious. He snaps his fingers and Griffon appears with a baffled squawk, ungracefully landing on the ground. Dante winces, wondering if he should feel bad for the bird. "Griffon. Give Dante a tour of this place after his meal."

"What?" The hawk flaps around, glaring at Vergil. "Whoa, whoa, wait, can't Trish do it? She plays a better host than either of us!"

 _Yeah, one's loud and noisy._ Dante crosses his arms. _The other's cold and a complete dick._

"She went on an errand on my behalf." Vergil calmly replies. "It might be days before she'll return."

"Days!?" Griffon groans, straightening its wings before flying to perch himself at the desk. "Fine, fine, got it, Master Vergil. Yeesh, you could've just asked me to come here instead of doing the magic teleport crap."

"And delay our guest's wellbeing? I don't think so." Vergil glances back at Dante. Then he smirks, reaching out to brush Dante's hair away from his face. "I also know you get lost easily as a child, so it's better if Griffon serves as your guide."

"What? I do **not** get lost!" Dante seethes, feeling flustered. He shoves the feeling of Vergil's fingers gently tracing his skin away. "I just go by intuition!"

He hears Vergil laugh, humor reaching his eyes. "We'll see about that, brother mine." He walks off, leaving a fuming Dante and a cackling Griffon in the room.

"Oh, what the hell, you have no answer to that?" He stares at Griffon. "Is this a thing? Leaving right when I want to know something that's actually useful?"

"Yeah, he just loves to do it to piss us off." Griffon's chuckles die away when Dante's jaw tightens. "So, uh, Dante. I hope you learned whatever Trish did to turn on the bath water because I can't. Unless you want me to poke at something-"

"I'll do it." Dante huffs, knowing how Trish handled the washroom. She made him memorize it because of their talk on hygiene and his stores about the people at the army. He takes the clothing, clean bandages, and snatches one of the towels nearby before glancing back at Griffon realizing something. "Are you really going to wait out here?"

"Uh, duh." The hawk stares back at him. "You think I like to be a voyeuristic moron? Like I want to know what you humans do on a minute-by-minute basis!"

"Believe me, you don't." Dante mutters, entering in the bathroom and shuts the door behind him.

* * *

Dante could have been done with his wash ten minutes ago, if his left hand isn't stinging from the injury. When he sees his left palm, he still sees the hint of an angry red gash from Vergil's sword. It has severed the seal in two, making it irreparable. The wound itself is still tender. There are some of Trish's medical paste remaining in the washroom, so Dante applies it before wrapping the clean bandages on his hand.

But it's the clothing that makes Dante pause. He could just go for the other clean set that is in his bag, but Vergil gave him this one and told him he has to wear it... why? Is Vergil attempting to show off his status as a potentially rich asshole and making Dante wear the same thing?

"So, he's not giving you much of a choice in the matter with your clothes." Griffon glances at Dante, who stares at the pile of red and black fabrics. "I also applaud you for being decent when you came out."

Dante warily stares at Griffon. He's only wearing the black pants and boots; the towel is around his neck to catch any droplets from his hair. "It's the shirt and this vest I'm debating— Really? I thought you're not a voyeur."

"Oh, shut up," Griffon groans. "If I had a thing to complain about, it's that those two— Master Vergil and Trish- don't cover themselves after they wash. Like for fuck's sake, I try to look the other way, but nooo, they want to chat about things I also don't care about. I don't want to know what their birthday suit looks like!"

"Well, then." Dante laughs before gesturing to the door. "The door's open if you want to wait."

"Gee, thanks. If there's something I have to say, I like ya. You're the most sensible so far and you've been here for only a day."

Dante shrugs, "What can I say? I try."

"You're good at being responsible." Oh, that is a laugh. "It makes me wonder if you do take that 'knight code' seriously." The hawk flies away and Dante sighs in relief, looking back at the clothing before lifting up an unfamiliar red shirt.

"You mean the code of chivalry?" Dante mumbles to himself. "Nope. I just go by common sense." He picks up the shirt again and blinks, tilting his head. "Huh, maybe this color isn't so bad after all..."

* * *

Wearing the clothes Vergil gave him didn't take long to put on. In fact, it's similar to the one he wore. The black vest is a nice addition. He gingerly brushes his fingers over the belts and inspects himself in the mirror.

It's uncanny seeing his reflection now. Dante doesn't look anything like Vergil at first sight. But the more he sees it, he can see some form of semblance. He combs his hair back and he sees the similarities. Dante frowns, silently deeming that the slicked hair thing looks ridiculous on him. He combs his hair back to his usual state and inspects the outfit once more, making sure parts of his shirt doesn't poke out from the vest.

Then he looks at his left wrist- ah, right. He should call Lady right now, shouldn't he? Griffon isn't around; he's probably doing- oh who knows what that bird is up to. Dante removes the bag from the chair and sets it down. He'll have to do a proper check of his bag; he needs to polish his armor and switch out his rations for new ones before he attempts to set off. Not that Vergil would let him. That, Dante knows, is an ordeal in itself. So, he might as well take advantage of staying with a roof over his head while planning his escape.

"I'm going to hate this call." Dante grumbles, silently dreading his friend's about-to-be wrath. At least he's the one calling her this time. He hopes she isn't frantically worried about him as he places his hand over the stone. "I hope she's okay with me being really late."

* * *

"Wait, so," Lady tries not to grin. "By angering its owner by sleeping on his property and you're forced to stay in his home for the next couple of weeks?"

Dante's eye twitches. This call did not go in the direction he initially dreaded about! He was honestly expecting her to cry in a panic and he'd had to apologize, tell her everything is okay, yadda, yadda, yadda... But no. She says Dante being lost is a thing and starts to laugh while Dante seethes in the chair. So he chalks up whatever pride he has remaining and groans, "Yes, and now I'm going to be really behind trying to meet you and the others because of this prick."

"About that-" Lady fails to contain her laughter and Dante glares at her. "Sorry! I'm sorry! It's just- out of all the reasons you're delayed, I had a feeling this would happen."

"For being in the woods and not realizing someone lives in it?" Dante deadpans. "Because I found out that other part in the worst way possible."

"Did that person say anything about the dragon in woods?"

That gives him pause. He wonders if he should— not just to confirm the rumor mill, but to get the chance to scare Lady. But the retribution for doing a prank will not be kind, so Dante decides against it. He would also like to tell Lady about his twin in person, rather than the communication stone; it is a personal matter to him. "There is... but I haven't found it yet."

"Oh, really? Well, that's a shame."

 _This lie will kick me later, I just know it._ "Yeah, I know, but I'm still in this mess." Dante's eye twitches, glaring at her. "I can't leave unless I escape or I satisfy his inquiries, whatever the hell those are."

"I'm sorry for laughing about your current problem, but how you got into this situation makes me amused." Lady grins. "It's not every day that it's the **knight** who gets captured in the castle!"

"Thanks! You're really helpful right now." Dante seethes, feeling his ears heat up in humiliation. "No, really. Can you please send this guy a letter of sorts, probably under the guise that I'm heading to your palace over an urgent matter? I know I'm supposed to be helping you with this entire diplomatic party. You know, the one where you play nice, gracious host while I'm your bodyguard to ward off any idiot who tries to kill you?"

From what Dante remembers, Lady is supposed to host some sort of extravagant ball or party of sorts to mingle with other diplomatic and rich people. Which means there's a chance of an attack aimed at these group. Being newly crowned, Lady is a potential target. It could be a thinly veiled chance to take the kingdom for the would-be killer. Lady only needs his help in making sure no ridiculous businesses takes place that night, but Dante extended to offer her of his protection. He says it's to repay the debt he owes her and she begrudgingly takes it.

Lady huffs, "That ball is a good few months away."

"I know, I know. You know the other reason why I should be heading over there."

"Uh huh. What about that, by the way? How are you going to work on asking people about—”

"I'm still working on it! But you know, I'm at an impasse right now. What am I supposed to do?"

"And I know you're aware I can handle myself, but that's not enough for you." Lady sighs, "All right, I'll try to draft up a letter to send to... who am I supposed to send this to? You never told me the name of what Lord you successfully angered and delayed your trip."

"Does the name _Vergil_ ring a bell?" Dante grunts, expecting for her to start laughing or making fun of him. Instead he hears nothing, and he blinks, seeing her surprised expression. "Uh. Lady? I asked—"

"No, no I heard." Lady murmurs, "Vergil, Vergil... I've heard of that name before."

Uh. This, he wasn't expecting at all. Dante straightens up, curiosity taking ahold. "You have? How?"

"I don't know." Lady frowns. "Hold on, let me find out and I'll call you back. It might be within a few days, Dante, so please be patient."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Well, Dante, I'm a bit busy with other matters like how to try not to strangle awful nobles and diving up resources so the villagers don't riot." Lady crosses her arms. "And I have a guest to show around and entertain."

"Wait, that guest. Is this person dangerous?" Concern suddenly flares in him. "Lady, I swear, if this person knows about that awful piece of shot your dad was-"

"Morrison told me that no, the person has no idea who Arkham is. Which should be a good thing." The queen hums. "But Nevan said she's looking into our guest; something about her seems odd. But." She smirks. "If that person turns out to be a would-be assassin after my crown, they'll have a happy time with my firearms instead of my dead body."

Dante's chuckle comes out wary, but he doesn't feel relieved. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Hey, I'm going to say this again: I can handle myself. You are the one who's in a bit of a bind right now. So, your letter. It's to this Vergil, right?"

"Yeah." Dante pauses, still wondering how Lady would know his name. "Can you let me know in advance what it says before you deliver it?"

"Of course, dumbass. And don't worry about being late to help with- the planning. You still have time." Lady grins. "Trust me, I'll be fine. The others will help me. They all say hi, by the way."

"Are you sure?" Dante asks, concerned for her safety already. "What if someone knew Arkham and tries to kill you to finish his dirty work while you're planning for this masquerade bullshit?"

"Hey, like I said," Lady smirks back and Dante sees one of her hidden daggers make its special appearance. "I can take care of myself."

He sighs, feeling a mix of relief and exasperation before mumbling, "If you say so. But really, call me. And tell me more news; you know I want to be prepared for whatever bullshit extravaganza takes place." Like who is coming, if he needs to prepare for an assassin, or any rival hands to be careful of- the typical political bullshit Dante hates to be a part of. If Lord Mundus is making his special appearance.

She laughs and it makes Dante feel slightly better. "I will, dumbass. Don't worry about it." Her communication stone cuts off and Dante smiles back, tugging his sleeves to hide the bracelet before he straightens himself. The concern for his friend's safety doesn't let go and his frown tugs at the corner of his lips.

_I know I shouldn't worry, but what is it about this particular event that bothers me so much...?_

He opens the door to his room and finds Griffon perched on one of the metallic bars, preening at his feathers. "Okay, flappy bird, I'm ready."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be nice and guide ya to the kitchen, dining hall." Then Griffon glances at him. "If you can tell me something."

Okay? "And what's that going to be?"

"You and uh, that chick you were just talking to." Dante freezes, silently cursing himself before looking at Griffon with a horrified stare. "Do you two have a thing going on with each other? It sounds like you two are pretty close."

Oh crap.

"The door was open." Griffon deadpans. "You do know I heard every word-"

"I'll tell you if you can promise me something." Dante hisses. "Don't tell Vergil I'm friends with the Queen from the next kingdom."

Why is he wording it like Lady is a secret? It's not like Vergil matters to him ...right?

"Uh, you sure about that?" Griffon stares at him. "He did say Rebellion showed him a buncha moments from your life…"

Never mind then! Dante groans, burying his hands in his face. "I mean- shit, don't tell him what you just heard! It's solely between me and my friend, and I would really appreciate it if you don't blab it all to Vergil."

"Okay, okay I swear on my lovely little beak I won't tell." That earns an immediate double-take from the hawk, eyes bulging wide. "Whoa, whoa, wait! I'm sorry but wait a minute! Back up, Shirley—"

"The name's Dante, chicken." Dante grouses.

"You're pals with Queen **Mary**?"

 _Well._ Dante silently groans, trying not to run back in that room and hide. _So much for secrecy._ Hearing her former name makes him glare at the bird. "Her name's Lady, not Mary. She disowned that name." _And for a good reason._

"Ohhh... say, Dante, you're not the type to leave me hanging." Griffon flaps over and okay, there is one positive thing to the black vest. It's preventing him from feeling those sharp talons prick through the leather and pierce through his wear. "How did you become friends with her? Master Vergil might know, but not me. So, this has got to be a good story!"

Dante groans, hanging his head. Great, now he has to entertain this bird. "Do I have to?"

"Well, it's either that or... we can go to Master Vergil's study, I tell him you haven't gotten any food in your stomach, and I'll mention to him about that masquerade ball-" Griffon squawks, flapping away as Dante curses at himself for grabbing air instead of that beak. "Ack! Okay, I get it, you don't want that! So, wanna let me know while you eat your breakfast?"

Dante was about to protest when he hears his stomach growl. He grumbles in embarrassment, "Fine, fine. If you want entertainment, why don't you just read something from the asshole's study?"

"Uh, for the record, I tried." Griffon says. "He threatened to clip my wings in return for touching one of his 'treasures'."

There's a pause in his steps before Dante recalls that Vergil is part dragon. _As I am, but..._ "His treasures?" Dante echoes, confused. "Yell me if I'm right or wrong about this, but aren't dragons attracted to shiny and expensive things like gold, jewels, or silk? You know, hoarding the most valuable items for themselves?"

Griffon cackles. "Are you kidding me? The things that sound like that are Master Vergil's clothing. I even don't even know what his treasures are! If he had some sort of hoarding problem, it's his books. Like for crying out loud, he has a large library. Do you have any idea how much of a pain in the ass it was just to try and find him in that labyrinth?"

"I... no, no idea." Dante refuses to know. He's not staying here long enough to find out, contrary to what Vergil believes. But from what Griffon implies, Vergil knew about Lady and what Dante did to help her. Okay. So, there are more bumps on the road. It's... manageable. This better not be one of those 'pebbles turn into rocks' deal or Dante will still find a way to leave, deal or not. He refuses to be a burden to more people, his twin being one of them.

"So, like we were saying," Griffon gleefully asks, "We were gonna get you a meal? You look sort of like a skeleton-"

"Hey, I eat well, thank you very much!" Dante's eye twitches. He's not going to admit he gets less than usual for a typical meal, but Dante has chalked it up to rationing.

"Not from what I saw..."

Dante heavily sighs, silently taking this day to be a very long one as he follows the hawk to the dining hall. _For whatever deity is so kind to me today, please give me patience._

"Fine. Where do you want me to start about me and Lady?"

* * *

"Arkham? Never heard of 'im." Griffon ruffles his feathers. "Though based on how you talked about him, he sounds like a creep."

"Think of him as a complicated power-hungry creep. He's Asshole Father of the Year material." Dante mumbles, eating the sausages that were in his plate. The eggs and toast were delicious along with the chopped fruit that was placed on the side. The bacon... He's not interested. He knew fruit was a luxury for most people- damn, how did Vergil get ahold of these? "There's a story Lady told me about her family line. Her mother and her ancestors were powerful mages. They had the ability to draw up enough magic for any ritual without payment. It sounds ideal for any dipshit who wanted to summon a demon or some eldritch deity without repercussions."

He hears Griffon lowly whistle. "Yikes. But your friend didn't agree with that?"

"No, Lady would prefer to use her own magic to fight and defend herself. It didn't help that Arkham was the king and wanted to declare war just to sate his power-hungry self." Dante sighs, still bothered by that. "He wanted to get the power for some ritual. That ritual was about taking certain abilities without the need to transform- you know what I'm talking about, right?"

"Is it like trying to steal powers and manipulating it to use that magic for their own reasons?"

He pauses on that question, lowering his fork. "Maybe. I thought he was going to steal my friend's powers to summon some powerful mook that night. Or maybe rip open a portal to a new dimension and allowing some idiot to come in. But no, it was something else. He just wanted power for himself and rule the world with his horrible vision to enslave humankind. It's all to interest some guy he's been obsessed with for years."

"Huh." Griffon glances at him. "That could be one reason. But you know, I've heard stories about someone stealing magic." The hawk edges closer and Dante eyes him, noticing that he's inching towards his plate. "You uh, gonna finish that bacon on your plate?"

Dante softly laughs, handing Griffon the thick bacon slice. "Sure. I didn't think you're the type to ask for food. I thought you hunted your own food."

"Ha, I could, but uhh. Killing those furry little animals? Nah. That ain't my shtick." Griffon tears into the cooked bacon as Dante finishes off his plate. Man, that was good. He should take some cooking lessons. "So, you were saying about the Queen's shit of a dad?"

"Right, well, he's no longer in rule; Lady made sure of it. I helped take down her father and made sure he didn't destroy anyone's life again." The amount of magic dampening powers used on him were exhausting. Nevan had to ask the help of the other mages for his punishment. "But he had some help from the outside. That's the part that bothers me the most." Dante wipes his mouth on a napkin, thinking back on his last visit there. "Arkham had help from someone and I promised Lady that I would find it who that helper was."

"And?"

"I found nothing." Dante grumbles, a bit annoyed at himself. "I need to go back and restart my tracks, which was the other reason I wanted to be there."

"But then you wound up coming here."

"The woods were supposed to be a shortcut."

"A shortcut?" Griffon looks up and Dante nods. "Ohhh... I gotcha. So, preparing for that ball wasn't the reason you needed to go on a hurry?"

"No. I hate parties. I hate balls even more." The knight shudders, recalling the last extravaganza he went to. "I had to guard a prince and his sister because their father knew they would play hooky and try to sneak out." He faintly laughs at the night. "It turns out all three of us wanted out, so we wound up escaping the ball. Those two were bored of the dancing, socializing- and they pretty much wanted to be like the kids they are. So, I offered to babysit those two while their parents were having fun socializing at their ball." He smiles at the thought. "I wonder how they are right now..."

"What, the people who asked you out?"

"No, the royal family." He still remembers to call them from time to time; those two and their parents are like an extended family to him. "Their parents helped me out after the war; they were the ones who gave me my current armor and clothing. They were the ones who knighted me for saving their lives."

"You? Hanging out with kids? I'm having a hard time imagining that."

"Try imagining me playing tea party with a young girl and a flower crown on my head." Dante grins. "While the little prince beats me up with his wooden sword."

Griffon cackles, "Cute, that's not an image I asked for. And what's your excuse for skimping out on a grand ball for a king and queen?"

"A lot of people were asking me to dance with them." Dante grimaces. "Most of them proposed to spend the night with them, which was not something I wanted. I had a job to do; I had no time to mess around." Let alone being in a bed with a stranger Dante knows little to nothing about. He isn't the type to have an one-night stand.

"Huh." Griffon cocks his head in confusion. "So you're a virgin?"

Thank the deities he wasn't drinking something or else he would start choking at that blunt statement. Instead he squeaks out, " **What?** "

"That's what it sounded like!" Griffon defends himself and Dante groans, feeling heat rush up to his face. "Oh come on, I thought someone like you would have been laid by now!"

"No, I didn't get laid with anyone- shut up, you dumb chicken!" Dante seethes, feeling flummoxed and horrified. He refuses to say Griffon's statement is true because it is; he also refuses to let anyone see him naked for reasons that he's now suspects is from the draconic side. (He's ashamed of it. He refuses to tell anyone. His mother was the only one who knew and he doesn't want to expose that part of him.)

Argh.

What a mess this morning is.

"Well, don't worry, I ain't telling Master Vergil all of that." The hawk stretches his wings before folding them back. "I don't think he's interested in hearing all of that since it doesn't have to do with his upcoming inquiries."

"You mean his interrogation." Dante mutters, but he feels a flooding sense of relief in him. Good. So... at least he got someone at his side. Even though he should be careful of who he blabs everything to. "I hope you don't tell him about-"

"Nah, that virgin thing stays shut. It made me laugh, but really, you should work on that self-esteem issue of yours." Griffon cackles, his beady little eyes meeting his. "Plus, I feel like you and I are gonna get along."

Dante blinks and chuckles. If he was to be trapped in this castle in some way, he might as well have some semblance of company. Even if it was in the form of a blabbing bird who manages to be snarky wise crack. "Don't tell everything to him or anyone and I might feed you more bacon." That is, if he can find it.

Griffon laughs. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

Better the annoying bird than Vergil right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Dante's a virgin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm posting this early because I am an eejit and decided (in hindsight not a good idea) to work a double tomorrow. On that note, that I will be sleepy and trying to survive two shifts in a row, enjoy this (very short) chapter!

_Mom, I asked someone in the nearby village about dragons._

_What did this man say?_

_I asked him where I can find one and he told me I can't find any..._

_Oh, Dante. You will find one someday. So, what did you find out?_

_That old soldier in the village told me that dragons used to rule this world. But then one came and made a deal with an army of humans- something about a pact or treaty that would last for centuries. It worked, but that dragon was forced to leave his pack._

_Ah. I recall such story. What else did this soldier tell you?_

_The dragon lived among humans for years. He travelled the world to see what he's protecting and met a human. Then he got into some sappy love tale about a dragon and a human that I didn't listen._

_...I see._

_Is everything okay, Mom? You look sad._

_Oh, it's nothing! Don't worry about me. I'm more worried about you, my little one._

* * *

The tour Griffon gave was informative. For a bird that chatted with no filter in his brain, he knew where everything was. He knew about the hidden doors that were cleverly hidden- but none, much to Dante's dismay, lead to the outside. They started from the upper floors, avoiding the study and guest room. Making their way down, Dante notices a few things about the place.

The castle is grand. It's spacious for a lord and lady to live in with comfort; a family could have lived here. The furniture and decorations are all well-kept and tidied with cleaning magic.

Had the woods been cleared off, the castle would be better noticed. Griffon told Dante that it was meant to be this way; the woods serve as a cover to hide this place. There are slash marks on the walls and Dante wonders if Vergil either got attacked or lashed out and had no target.

"I wonder if they knew he was the dragon in the woods everyone keeps talking about." Dante murmurs, but Griffon cackles. "What?"

"Funny that you mentioned that," The bird says, "Master Vergil **wants** that rumor to keep going. He said it keeps a lot of unwanted visitors away."

Dante scoffs, not sure if that got accomplished. It didn't keep him away; Dante only wanted a shortcut to Lady's palace. "It didn't do a good job with some people." _Me, for an example._

"Well," Griffon hums, "There was that one time when a buncha travelers thought this castle was theirs for the picking. They were about to rob this place when Master Vergil came back from one of his dead-end searches. Well, he appeared in his dragon form, of course, and told them to leave. When that didn't work, they attacked him-"

"They did?" Dante asks, surprised. How the hell was Vergil caught off-guard? When was this? Wait. Why is he concerned about something his twin lived through? "How... did it end?"

"For one, the travelers were crying and screaming in fear. Their attacks did nothing to Master Vergil. And uh, what else? Oh, yeah, Master Vergil told them to leave or else he'll kill them and the nearby villages. He froze a guy with his ice breath, but not to death." Griffon sighs, "What a sight, though. Those guys were about to pee in their pants!"

 _So... Vergil didn't kill them._ Strange. Dante thought dragons had an inherent bloodthirst. Unless there was something that stopped Vergil from killing them- never mind, he'll ask Vergil about it later. "...Huh."

Griffon squawks, "That's all you can say!?"

"Unless you know a better response." Dante grumbles. That he was glad Vergil was alive and not dead? That he spared the would-be robbers from their deaths? That the people didn't die a horrible death? He feels strangely relieved to know that Vergil is fine, which shouldn't bother him. "Look, I know I should say something, but I only knew about Vergil for... what? Two days now? And I'm still trying to sort through my mind with... the memories that were trapped."

"Ohh. Well, sorry. I thought that— uh, family, you'd feel at least panicked about Master Vergil's life when it was in danger." The bird looks down at him. "He was worried about you when you collapsed."

 _Yeah, I figured that._ Dante frowns. It's an odd feeling, being that subject of concern and care. It's flattering, but so odd. "I... well, it's as I said. Let me... maybe I'll feel different in a few days. Or hours." But he doesn't feel as if things have changed. A bit disconcerted, Dante looks back up to Griffon. "Hey. Show me the rest of the place. I think I'm in the mood to walk around some more."

_Perhaps, maybe, I can find some way out that won't get Vergil's attention. Or a place to think about it._

Griffon groans, starting to complain that he's flying more than he should, why can't Trish be back, but Dante ignores his ramblings.

_Maybe... no, I shouldn't talk to Vergil yet._

* * *

"And here is the courtyard! I've seen it in its better days." Griffon grunts, looking around the roses and flowers blooming in the courtyard. It captures Dante's attention; it has been a while since he last saw a beautiful garden. "I'm not a fan of flowers or that frilly crap."

"Huh. Among the woods, the roses still bloom." Dante murmurs. Catching the faint sweet floral scent, he blinks and smiles to himself before seeing Griffon next to him. "Sorry, but uh, I'll be here for quite a while. Do you want to wait until I'm done admiring the flowers?"

"Are you sure?" Griffon asks. "I mean, you guys are supposed to talk after you had your tour."

"Wait, that's it?"

"Yeah! This place is the last stop, buddy."

Oh. Huh. _How... convenient._ Dante's eye twitches. This tour was strangely short. He's not sure how much time passed, but Griffon sure talked a lot. "Eh, Vergil can deal with the delay." Dante waves it off, deciding to look in the garden. "So—"

"Yeah, yeah, I actually need to rest. It's just, do you **have** to do it here, out of all places?"

Dante sees Griffon perching at the dry water fountain. "Well, I want to explore around here."

"Suit yourself; I'm not one to tell you this, but again, you're supposed to meet with Master Vergil after I show you around."

"And he told me to try and find him, which I'm not in the mood for." Dante turns around, walking towards the red roses. Ignoring Griffon's warnings about Vergil's eventual impatience, he approaches the rose trellis, finally seeing one of the ruby red roses up close. He softly smiles when his hands caress the delicate red petals. Fond memories of his mother showing him the different flowers and their properties come to him like a gentle breeze. He wants to pluck one and keep it for himself. Can he?

The temptation to cut one of those roses off is high. He wonders if he can get away with it. Much like if he can get away with escaping this place without Vergil knowing. Perhaps there's a gate that would lead him outside back to the woods he should be getting back to. Or if this castle has some underground path, secret doors that Griffon didn't show him.

He closes his eyes to think. How far is this castle from the original path? He knows this castle should be near the clearing he was staying in before Vergil caught him. The fire pit he made should be the most obvious mark. The place where he was last was near a brook, so maybe he should try to hear sounds for running water. Perhaps he can track it instead of having to rely on his magic. First thing’s first: he has to find an actual gate and or a secret way out in order to think about his escape route. Speaking of—

He catches a small gap where the garden hedges meet the trees. Walking a few steps towards it, Dante sees that there is in fact, a small narrow opening where the boxwood hedges detach. There is no fence fortifying the hedges. Odd. Dante wonders if the architect of this place intentionally wanted the place to be overrun by nature in the distant future. There are fences surrounding the front half of the gardens. What happened to the other half?

No matter, Dante’s made up his mind. He's found his gateway to freedom and he wasn't about to share this information with anyone in this palace. He can wait for a few days for Vergil's guard to be low before Dante sneaks his way out.

 _It's probably better to do this when it's at the night._ Dante silently wonders if he should do it during the day, but he nixes the idea. There's a chance Griffon will talk; he did call Vergil his 'Master'. And if he does enact his plan in the day, Vergil might catch him in the act. _For now, maybe I should think about the quickest route out of this castle from the room I'm being cooped at. And..._ Dante grimaces, looking down at his left hand again before looking up at the castle. _I really can't delay this any more than I have, but I want to._

"Hey Griffon." Dante calls out, striding back to the hawk. "I'm ready to go back in."

"Gimme a sec, gotta get the last of these crap from my wings—" Griffon grunts, preening his wings before flapping in relief, flying over to perch himself on Dante's shoulder again. "Aaahhh, that feels a bit better. Remind me, err, Dante, to take a dip in a clean bucket of water much later. A bird's gotta be well kept too."

"Heh, probably from the poacher's net you got caught in. Do you want some ice with that?" Dante grins and Griffon lets out an indignant squawk. "Hey, a cold bath is good—"

"Okay, hell no! That sounds like torture and I do **not** want to experience another round of it, thank you very much." Griffon bristles. "How the hell can you stand cold water, out of all the things?"

"You don't get much luxuries from the army, birdie." Dante chuckles, hearing the hawk groan. "Want me to tell you the some of the more interesting jobs from my journeys?"

"Yeah, yeah, I can't promise I'll be interested in— wait, stories from your job? What makes you think I'll be interested in that?"

"Just for entertainment." Dante meanders for a bit, shuffling his foot. "I'm not ready to talk to Vergil yet."

Griffon cackles, adjusting his talons. "Huh. All right, I gotcha. You're not prepared to know what to ask him?"

"Well..." The bird's right; Dante is delaying the inevitable and he'll have to talk to Vergil. But a part of him still wants time to get used to it—isn't he rushing things by asking the source himself? The other part, on the other hand, says no: get your answers now. Think all about it later. _Know that either way, Vergil is going to piss you off somehow and will tell you you're trapped in his keep even if you tell him what he wants._ Instead of saying that, he plasters his grin and says, "Maybe I want to see how you'd feel about dealing with something else that isn't a dragon in a castle."

"Hmmmn fine. Not like I have anyone else to talk to aside Master Vergil anyway." Griffon groans. "Normally, that would be Trish's deal, but you know, something new sounds pretty good right now. So, Mister Knight, what tales do ya have?"

Dante grins.

* * *

"And that swamp hag was doing all of that?" Griffon gawks, horrified. "To the **kids!?** "

"You're forgetting about the priests and fighters that tried to get the poor kids back." Dante tacks in. Both occupants are in the drawing room, sunlight pouring in and curtains drawn. The lack of people in the place made Dante's voice echo in the room, but he doesn't mind. The privacy calms him as he told Griffon what he thought to be the more interesting quests he took on after the war. The memories of that were brighter, clearer than the ones Vergil unlocked, but he shoves those grainy thoughts aside. Right now, he has a chatty hawk to entertain.

"But for a bloodletting—well, fuck. I ain't gonna underestimate any bitchy old ladies again after your tale." Griffon shudders, flapping his fear away. "What **was** she doing with all of those blood? Was she trying to summon something?"

"No, she wanted to use that blood for herself. Something about preserving her powers with the blood and…It was not a pretty image." Dante shrugs. "I mean, she was pretty easy to kill when she realized I didn't cave into her spell."

"Uggghh! That's twisted—a vampire sounds a lot better to deal with than that creepy old hag!"

"I've heard vampires exist somewhere off the west coast..." Dante grins and laughs when Griffon squawks, stumbling back. "I'm kidding, I don't know what's on the other side of this country."

"But that's— out of most things you told me, it's pretty much up disturbing!" Griffon groans. "What the crap Dante, I thought that crypt one was bad!"

"It still wasn't fun trying to get out of a crypt with the living dead coming after us." Dante mutters. _And I was guarding Grue and his kids while helping those band of travelers out. I wonder how they are right now?_ "Try thinking about that insane acolyte trying to bring back the dead while you're at it."

"I'm trying **not** to." Griffon whines. "Geez, I thought you were going to tell me stories about people who died in war and came back to haunt people. Not this!"

"Hey, you asked." Dante shrugs. "Want to hear more?"

"Let me get over what you told me first!"

Dante leans back in the chair, chuckling to himself. He ignores Griffon's whining in favor to check on his left hand. He slowly closes his hand to a fist and Dante feels a jolt of pain before unfurling his fingers. He should change the bandages soon, maybe use that medical kit to alleviate the pain since that paste did so much—

"I thought you wanted to talk about a few things, brother mine."

Dante jolts when he feels Vergil behind him. He turns, seeing Vergil looking at him, but the latter looks irked. 

"You scared me." The knight wheezes, about to stand when he feels Vergil's cool hand on his shoulder. "How did you—"

"You took your time." The other flatly says, tightening his hand akin to a harsh pinch. Dante yelps, slapping Vergil's hand away before glaring up at him. "I decided to find you instead."

"Good. I wasn't in the mood to find you anyway." Dante grumbles, crossing his arms. How did Vergil find him? He wants to know if Vergil has some sixth sense that came with his draconic side to scout Dante in this castle.

He feels the fingers leave his neck, Vergil finally appearing in his line of sight. He grabs a nearby seat and sets it across where Dante sits. "Despite what you told me last night, it seems as if you don't want to talk."

"I forgot what those questions were. It was one of those 'heat of the moment' deals." Dante mumbles, trying to find some way to get out of it. But he hears Vergil gesture something- and Dante hears the door shut and lock themselves. He witheringly stares back at the other, who finally sits down with that glowering smirk. "Okay, seriously? Do you have every lock memorized?"

"You can say that." Vergil says, leaning down, eyes intent on Dante's. "So, brother mine. We're going to talk; you had things to ask from me."

"Okay, and...?" What the hell does this have to do with locking the door? "I told you I forgot them."

Vergil's eyes narrow. "I'm calling your bluff."

"Hey!" Dante scowls.

"I think those questions you had will return. I'm going to ask you a few things in return. And you will answer them." Vergil growls. " **Truthfully**."

Dante thins his lips. Well, this isn't good. He'll have to find creative ways to side-step the more sensitive question— ones he really hoped Rebellion didn't present. If he's lucky and the other doesn't decide to play interrogator, he doesn't earn whatever wrath Vergil has in him and change into that dragon Dante was about to get chomped by yesterday. He can see Griffon nervously shuffle in his spot and Vergil glancing to the hawk.

"So uh," Griffon nervously says, "I would uh, normally, like to watch you two have at it. But it's seriously getting a bit uncomfortable—"

"Go, then," Vergil flatly says, snapping his fingers and Griffon vanishes with an annoyed squawk, earning Dante's baffled stare. "What?"

"You could—just let him fly out like a normal bird." Dante gestures to the doors. Well, damn, he feels bad for the birdy. He makes a silent reminder to track down the bacon and feed it to Griffon. "Where did you send him to?"

"Outside of this room, where we are not filled with distractions of any sort." Vergil says. "I would rather like it to between us."

"And the doors? Aren't you going to unlock them?"

"Normally, I would. Seeing as how nobody else is around to bother us." Vergil maliciously smirks. "But I've waited for you for the last few hours, only to hear you talking to Griffon about matters I should be aware of. Of course, I would want the doors shut."

Oh, so Vergil is being the petty piece of shit now? "The things I talked to your pet birdie about are none of your business." Dante glares back. "What give you the right to pry into my current life if I don't know you enough?"

Vergil hums, "You bring up a good point. I don't know you well enough to understand your current affairs."

"So then—"

"Then let's talk." Vergil calmly says a silent dare dancing in his eyes for Dante to bail. "How about we learn about each other? Whatever you say, I will say something for you to retain. I want to know more about you, brother mine. If things altered with you, had your interests shifted from what I recalled as children; if you still hold the same fascination with certain dealings."

"This is your way of asking if we can get to know each other, isn’t it?" Dante frowns. "You are aware that I'm still trying to register the thought that you're my twin, right?"

"I am. I suspect you have questions about your memories too."

"Yeah, and..." Dante trails off before making up his mind. "This is going to sound odd. But I want to see if your memories of us as kids match."

"If our memories match?" Vergil echoes, sounding incredulous. "As children? Are you aware that we might have different perspectives of what we did?"

"I know, I know. Hindsight made me realize I'm looking at a bratty kid who ran around, screaming for his twin like a spoiled maniac and I'm having a really hard time accepting that I am that same dumb brat." Dante huffs, wondering if he is asking for the impossible. "It sounds too confusing for you—"

"No, it doesn't." Vergil shakes his head, confusion gone. "I understand your intentions."

Dante heaves a sigh of relief.

"But I do have one thing to disagree with you on." Vergil barely cuts that relief away and Dante looks up. The odd look is back, and Dante can't put a finger on what that is. "You aren't a spoiled child. You were being yourself... the Dante I remembered."

Dante's face twists to a slight grimace. "Yeah, well, you might think that. I'm seeing a whiny little kid who seriously needed that slap of reality." His lips tilt to a bitter smirk, recalling the name-calling and bullying he was forced to endure. "No amount of playing swords can take away what I had to deal growing up, Vergil. Rebellion must have shown you that."

Vergil's sigh comes out low, even. Dante doesn't see Vergil's hand ball to a tight fist, his magic slowly gathering in his silent anger. "...I saw."

"Okay. Just making sure we're on some even level about that—"

"Do you think of me as someone different?"

The sudden question makes Dante pause, looking a bit confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"Do you still believe me when I say you're my twin brother? That I have indeed been searching for you for years?" Vergil asks. "Or do you take me as a deluded stranger who could have mistaken a stranger for my brother?"

Dante blinks before he groans, closing his eyes. His head is not up for more thinking than it already has. "I don't know why you asked me that. My memories... are still new to me, and before you say anything, I'm still trying to get used to them. You feel like a familiar stranger- someone I should know, but I don't." He opens his eyes. "But you're not deluded. I know for certain you're the twin Mother told me about."

Vergil sighs with some relief. "Then we do as I mentioned; we can get to know each other again, brother mine."

Dante breathes in, straightening himself to compose himself. "Okay, fine. Let's... have at it, then." Then he relaxes, slipping on his typical, devil-may-care mask. If he doesn't lose his cool, then he'll be fine. This will hopefully be over soon. If strangers find him alluring yet grating, Vergil will be sick of him by the time the sun starts to set. It's not going to be any different than every 'getting-to-know-you' chat Dante endured. "Ask away, Vergil. You're the gracious host; what do you want to know?"


	6. Chapter 6

Vergil looks surprised to hear Dante offer him the first question. Then he says, "I prefer if you asked first, brother mine."

Dante blinks, slightly surprised. "Ha? Why?"

"You have more questions than I do; would it be more appropriate for you to start?" Vergil leans back in his chair. "The more we talk, my questions for you will emerge.”

“Huh.” Dante frowns. “I thought you were chickening out.”

“I merely observe before I figure out how to deal with my obstacles.” Vergil hums, eyes still on him with the fascinated interest in his eyes. “What bothers you, brother mine? Let's start with it and see where it goes from there."

His twin has a point. Dante looks down at his hand, the obvious question literally in front of him. "I still want to know why Father planted this seal on my palm."

"That seal should not have been there." Vergil mutters in disdain, looking at Dante's left hand. "Your wound, how is it?"

"It feels fine." Dante closes his hand and hides the pain that immediately went to his head. "Though the way you had your sword Yamato pressed up on my hand hurts."

Vergil glares at him. "Are you still bitter about that?"

"Hey, you slashed my hand without warning. Of course I have every right to be pissed."

He can feel Vergil's eyes on his left hand before shifting back to him. "It is for a good reason. Have I not stressed that part enough?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It woke up my memories and... who knows what else it did to me? I don't even know if you and I-"

"We will talk about those soon." Vergil says. "Be warned, my perspective on you as a child differs from what you think of me."

"If you're talking about back then, I'm fine with your complaints. I was an annoying piece of shit as a kid before you left, so let's pick on that side of me for a bit." Dante darkly smirks, not seeing the concerned look Vergil gives him. "You said I was whining for your attention, crying when you wouldn't relent- how else am I supposed to describe myself, after seeing all of that?"

Vergil thins his lips, "All of them were not terrible memories, brother mine."

 _With what moments?_ As far as Dante knew, Vergil only wanted to be left alone while Dante played around and exuded lots of energy. If anything, he only wanted Vergil to play with him; he even inked his name over some of the books Vergil loved to read just to get his attention. The amounts of times he heard himself pester Vergil to play with him despite the physical sighs that Vergil wants to be left alone to his reading. Oh. Wow. Dante was not a well-behaved child.

"Even on the days you told me to play by myself and how you wanted to keep reading?" Dante asks, getting whatever weird expression Vergil wore off his face. "I'm honestly not sure about that. You wanted quiet more than my company." He saw himself as a kid, wandering around the gardens, admiring the flowers and making up invisible friends who would play with him when the children in the nearby villages were busy. He recalled hearing their parents forbidding them to venture out, saying that it was for their safety. But Dante finds a way and kids play with him anyway since Vergil didn’t want to.

...that excuse about safety again. Dante's lips tug to a frown, recalling that excuse being told over and over in his mind from his mother, from those who actually tried to shelter him. He shoves it away, deciding to mull about it later Whatever bullshit Vergil has making Dante stay better not be for 'his safety'.

Anyway.

"On..." Vergil sighs, rubbing his temples. "I used to favor the peace you gave to let me read when you relented on your pestering."

"Books are always your deal." _It still is, based on what Griffon told me about your precious library._ A part of him wondered if he left Vergil alone, would things be different between them.

"Not anymore." Vergil doesn't bat an eye when Dante looks at him. "I didn't realize I took things for granted until Father placed the seal on you." He looks at Dante with that strange look again. "What did Mother say when you asked her about the seal on your hand?"

Dante narrows his eyes. He did wonder what the seal was supposed to do. Right. That was what he wanted to ask Vergil about. "Mother told me it was an important mark, that I should protect it. Whatever I do, nobody else must see it or break it until I was ready. I've had other people look at it and they were clueless. The runes and writings confused them. Did you get a different story about it?"

Vergil nods, his breathing slow and seething. "Father's seal on your palm served two purposes: the first intention was to suppress the magic you were to eventually gain and grow with."

"Well, I can say that worked out well." Dante grumbles, "My magic is a bit lackluster compared to what I can feel from you. What's the second purpose?"

"The initial purpose was to hide all memories about Father. It was for our protection, he said, against our enemies." Vergil's hands slowly ball into a tight fist. "But it turns out Father also suppressed memories of us for the very same reason."

"The memories of you and me?” Dante frowns, recalling the first time he woke up to feel strangely content, not realizing there was someone missing until years later. "I... it makes some sense. You were going with him. I stayed with Mother because she could be lonely being by herself. Someone had to be with her." _At least, until she was killed._

"...yes. Because of that." Vergil murmurs, breathing in deep. But his voice says otherwise, and this heightens Dante's suspicions. "You were always fond of our Mother."

"I know." Dante closes his eyes, recalling her smiles and warmth. Her reassurance and encouragements brightened him when things were rough. She helped him with developing his magic, with his studies, and his swordsmanship. Even when Dante was bullied, her words encouraged him to go forward, don't give up, everything will get better for him one day. "She helped me when things got rough for us."

"What else happened after Father and I left?"

Dante blinks his eyes open before he frowns. "Didn't Rebellion show you that?"

"I mentioned it only showed the memories that it deemed necessary." Vergil narrows his eyes. "It didn't show me what you and Mother went through prior to her death."

"Interesting." The knight grimaces, shifting his eyes away from the other. It sounds like Rebellion has enough decency to respect Dante's memories. But what did it show Vergil still worries him. "Only if you tell me what you and Father did- why you both had to leave."

Vergil looks reluctant, but he heavily sighs, "...Father wanted someone to carry out his will; to keep the balance between the dragons and humans. I came with him due to his belief I had more diplomatic skills, could have adapted easier to the rules and dealings with both dragons and humans. I was able to develop my abilities faster. All because I was the more accepting of our draconic heritage: our Father's side."

"Huh, that... sounds about right. You seem to be the nefarious plotting type." Dante smirks, seeing the scowl Vergil wears. "Speaking of Father," Dante asks, wondering if he can shift gears for a bit. "What was he like?" Memories can only provide a blur of what his Father looks like. He barely gets an image of him. "Mother refuses to tell me anything except that he used to protect her."

He hears his twin hum. "That... is partially right. To us, Father was stern. Strict. You feared his temper if you didn't behave. A bit harsh, according to you. But Father knew you had a more playful side." Vergil takes a second to think about something before he glances back. "He was a warrior on his own right; he is a dragon who can work with humans and his own kin."

"A-" Dante blinks, trying to slowly process a few details before one hits him. "Wait. Back up. You said Father was a dragon."

"He is. Where do you think our draconic powers come from?"

"I thought..." He trails off, "I thought Father was someone who had dragon powers in him. Not an actual- are you serious?"

Vergil looks irritated, but he hides it well. "Do you want me to show you-"

"I get it, you don't have to show me. It's... that, well, shit." Dante leans back, suddenly feeling something else drape over him. It is a slow-hitting realization; Dante suddenly feels stunned and dazed. He is sure Vergil isn't talking to him right now, staring at him, but Dante doesn't care.

Things slowly made better sense in the years Dante lived with his Mother. The way his Mother talked about dragons, how achingly familiar she knew them- it was as if she encountered a lot of them in her life. When he last talked to her about dragons, his Mother told him about how dragons can easily blend in with the humans and how one dragon did so with better success than anyone else. There was a name she mentioned over and over in her stories and Dante wonders now if he recalls the name of the man she constantly talked about- oh gods, the name escapes him, what was it...

"Dante?" Vergil's voice cuts through and Dante looks up. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah! Sorry, I'm thinking." Dante clears his throat, attempting to clear his mind to focus, but that nagging feeling returns. _What was that name Mother always used in her fairy tales...?_ He attempts to smile back, trying to push to the conversation back. "Anyway-"

"Is something really bothering you?" Vergil asks again and Dante stills, not sure how to properly respond to this. His brother clicks his tongue, narrowing his eyes before standing up. "It is evident something is nagging in your brain. You can tell me, brother mine. I won't judge."

"How would I know you aren't going to think I'm crazy?"

"Because I know you better than most." Vergil has that strange look again. "You are my twin. Is that reason not sufficient enough?"

Dante opens his mouth before he groans. "Fine, since... okay, who knows what Rebellion showed you. But Mother told me stories when I was a kid- dragons being one of them. But for anything else, she... told me stories when I couldn't sleep. She made some up on her own." He can hear Vergil's snorts of amusement. "Shut up, what was I supposed to do, wait until I counted sheep?"

"No, but a part of me wonders..." He trails off.

"About?"

Then Dante feels the dip in the couch where he is sitting and Vergil is next to him. "You used to tell me everything that bothered you when we were young. When we both were still together."

"So?" _The point of this is being...?_

"Let me help." Vergil gently says, his eyes on Dante’s. "Perhaps I can be of assistance."

Dante was about to balk and say hell no, but he falls silent. Instead he turns away, flutters his eyes shut, mumbling, "Mother would tell me fairy tales about a knight named Sparda. All of his adventures, deeds, antics: they sound like a knight's journey. But for some reason, that name stuck to me. Heh, I don't know why, but-"

"Sparda is our Father's name." Vergil's surprised voice cuts through, but it made Dante sit up, looking at his twin with stunned silence. "Did Mother-"

"She never told me that. Mother just... This was after you both left." Dante runs his hand through his hair, breathing evenly to prevent another dizzy spell. But things made better sense; the stories she told Dante were in some effort for him not to forget. "She told me several times Father would have been proud to see me fight. When I asked how you would have felt-" Dante tries not to laugh. "If you were with me, she told me that you would have been annoyed that I decided to join the army."

Vergil sighs, but a hint of amusement peaks through. "Mother was not wrong. I wouldn't have liked that you're fighting for a very flimsy cause."

"Hey, I managed through just fine." Dante frowns.

"Was it worth that scar on your chest?"

He was going to ask Vergil how he found out, but he recalled yesterday's events. Vergil probably saw that large scar while trying to take off Dante's ruined shirt. Argh... right, he still needs to find a way to wash his bloodied shirt. "Right, about that. Someone from the other side thought he can take me on and used my own sword against me. But I guess that person panicked after holding Rebellion. Apparently one of the ally soldiers said that Rebellion nearly set that man on fire."

"Rebellion obeys to no one else but its wielder." Vergil states.

Dante glares at him. "Except for you, apparently."

The other man smirks. "Rebellion obeys me because I wield its counterpart. Your blade is equal to Yamato. Of course it would recognize me."

The asshole sounds completely smug about this. _Prick_. "So just out of curiosity, does this mean-"

"You don't get to wield my sword, Dante." What!? He wasn't thinking about that! "Even if it knows your blood and recognizes you as my twin, wielding Yamato will be impossible as long as I am around."

"Oh, come on! Since when you get to have a say in - you know what? I'll figure it out on my own. Just wait, you dipshit, I'll have both swords and you can't stop me from using both of them." Dante mutters, huffing in annoyance. He can still feel Vergil's gaze on him accompanied with a soft laugh. In annoyance, Dante decides to gear it back. "Back to Father. You said he was a dragon that lived among humans and his kind. How do you know he's telling the truth and not making it up?"

"He still has things in his room that he didn’t take with him. I know he took his sword and armor and the things he would need for his own safety." Vergil sees Dante's face light in interest. "Though it will not show much as your ideas of proof."

"I still want to see it." Dante says, wanting to find some proof that his birth father did care for his mother and him. A part of him is suspect about the entire 'used to be a dragon before going to live with a human' story, but another part of him wants to know why he was forced to leave them behind. And he realizes something else that bothers him. "Is Father still here?"

"No."

Right. "…and?" Dante warily asks, wanting more than the blunt response. _Any specifics or what you knew when you last saw him…?_

"The last I saw of him was when he left this castle in my care before he left. That was three years ago." Vergil explains. "I have not heard a word from him since."

"So he didn't leave a message to indicate where he went to anyone?" Dante asks, confused. "Nothing to you either?"

"I know better than to pry into our Father's affairs. Even his comrades knew to stay away than incur Sparda's wrath." The elder twin sees Dante stand. "Yet I can sense you are persistent."

"He's not here and I think a part of you wants to know what our father was up to all these years." Dante smirks, seeing the annoyed reluctance emerge from Vergil's face. "See?”

Vergil closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of just nose before indicating something. Dante hears locks being undone from the doors and glances back at the other man. "If I come with you, I need to have your word that you will not do anything foolish.”

"Seriously? I'm just taking a look." He feels Vergil next to him before he winces, feeling a pinch to his arm. "Ow! What the hell, what did I do to offend you?"

"If there is something you retained from your childhood, it's your curiosity." There's that odd smile again. Dante isn't sure of why, but it makes him strangely glad to see that fond look on Vergil's face. "Come. I'll guide you there."

"And after?" Dante asks, glancing at him. "After we look through his room, do you want to be left alone to do your thing?"

Vergil pauses in his steps and then he glances over. "I prefer if we continued our conversation in my study."

In other words, they're not done talking. Well, if Dante is to find a way out, he still needs to learn about the other's routine to find a suitable opening. And, maybe, if he could, another walk around the castle could produce some hint of a secret passageway. Or he could wait for Lady's letter to show and see what Vergil makes of it.

_It's only a matter of time, then._

"...sure, why not." Dante says, walking up to the other. "Lead the way, Verge."

(He doesn't see the lingering look Vergil gives him before a small smile emerges.)

* * *

"Here we are. Father's room."

Dante nods, feeling a bit apprehensive when he approaches it. He shouldn't feel like this, knowing how he's just received memories of his draconic Father. But the slow crawling fear that wells in him says otherwise. Alarm bells tell him he shouldn't enter in without-

"Dante?"

"Y-yeah?" He sees Vergil looking at him, concerned. "Sorry, I'm a bit nervous, that's all."

"So you say." Vergil's eyes narrow before unlocking the door. He gives the other one last look. "A last warning for you to turn back, brother mine."

"No way." Dante shakes his head, bottling his fears in. There's no way he's scared of something this minute. Especially since this is his parent's room; he's been in his mother's room several times and he isn't scared of her. Is his Father’s room going to be any different? "I'm. Just open the door already!"

He swears he can hear Vergil laughing at him as he opens the door. Dante steps in after, nervous over what he is going to see. His mind supplements with some overblown image of a lavish room, filled with riches and some exorbitant items of great value, no images of them anywhere. He’s surprised when he sees a series of books, neatly placed scrolls, and ink bottles cleaned and tidied in a desk. Dante sees a bed that is like the one from the guest room, minimal decorations, and there is no hint of valuables. It isn't as lavish as Vergil's study or the guest room, which strikes him as immediately odd.

"...strange." Dante murmurs, not sure if he's feeling underwhelmed or disappointed. "You would think for someone who plays double duty, there would be more things Father would have kept to himself for defense." _Or hid his treasures somewhere like a cunning dragon would._

Vergil glances at him, rather annoyed. "He only told me his valuables were supposed to be safely hidden so that nobody would look for them."

"Hmn. Right. Look how well that plan went. I don’t think he has anything to show his dragon side." Dante turns back, not wanting to entertain Vergil in favor for looking around his room. He sees a series of written letters with dried ink and he slowly leaves through the written paper. _They’re made out to someone…_ "He doesn't have anything that resembles his supposed knightly like side either... why?"

"Father always kept to himself." Vergil grunts, approaching the other who still looks through the articles at Sparda's desk. "He often told me his room is forbidden to anyone, me included. Even when others present themselves, he would take his business to the drawing room we were both just in."

"In there? But it's interesting that you know where Father's room is." Dante smirks back, seeing his twin's eyes narrow to a glare. "How many times did you sneak in his room? I wonder why? Trying to find something that you don't want Father to know about?"

Vergil is silent, but his glare dares Dante to keep talking.

"Maybe you wanted to sneak out of this place, running off on your own just to see what it feels like. I don't blame you. It's a really spacious, nice castle that might look small after a long time." Dante honestly has no idea what his twin was thinking back then, growing up in this castle alone without anyone to consult or to play around with in his age. He’s bluffing his way through it and he knows it. But Dante wants to see what makes the other tick, to glean some hidden information from the other. There are many ways he can get it and irritating the hell out of people seems to do the trick. Vergil seems to be like most other people he's dealt with. "I mean, it's not like **you** were trapped in here without reason or anything to go on, except that it was for your own safety-"

"Dante." The draconic irritation snarls with Vergil's voice. "You **don't** want to know what thoughts crossed my mind while I was living here."

"Try me." Dante shoots back. "It's not any different than many of the other dipshits I've dealt with before-"

Whatever else he was going to say gets cut off when he feels his shirt being balled up, yanking him close and being slammed against the wall. Owwww, this is going to hurt, Dante can feel it. He grimaces, creaking his eyes open to see Vergil's eyes pin him, the vicious draconic blue shining and piercing his stare and Dante feels cold breath tickle his skin, making him shiver.

"What Father told me vastly differs from what Mother told you, you babbling fool." Vergil's bottled fury slowly leaks out, an underlying rancor rumbling in his voice. "If I had things **my** way, you would have come with me so that it wasn't just me who would have Father's useless inheritance."

 _Wait, he wanted **me** to come??_ He feels that part feel shocked, relief shooting through him, but his confusion overwhelms it by another part. "Inheritance?" Dante echoes, confused, but he winces when Vergil presses him a bit, his anger still ebbing from his expression. "What the hell do you mean by-"

"What Father wanted best for both of us was **not** what I wanted to do." Vergil continues, "It was so I can be his replacement, to keep whatever fragile peace there is between the dragon and the humans. According to him, that bastard, he thinks of **me** to be a better fit than you, and for that, I hated him more when he specifically said he wanted to make sure we did live separate lives, independent of each other-"

"But wasn't that what we did anyway?" Dante is confused by something, his mind slowly taking this in. "That we did-"

"What Father thought to be best was only because he acted on our Mother's best interests. If you can call it that." Vergil scoffs, slowly releasing Dante from his hold. Dante barely gets any feeling on his legs, despite not being held for that long, but he wheezes, releasing that breath he held in for fear of...

...of what? Why is he scared of Vergil just then?

 _Probably because he went full dragon before and might actually kill me._ The snarky tone in him says. _Note to self, he did threaten me a few times as a kid if I drew in his books again or destroyed his ink and quill._

He decides to press his luck further by asking, "What **were** our parents' wishes, aside making us different people? I definitely can tell you that seal did a good job with that."

"By making you forget everything about **me?** It certainly did relieve them of whatever concerns they had." Vergil says, but he doesn't let off from Dante's space. He still looks angry, but it's lessened. "But that never stopped me from looking for you. Not once did whatever Father tell me deter me from wanting to find you." He steps back a few steps to allow Dante the space to regather himself before seeing the other's current state. "Did that satisfy whatever inquiry you had about our parents' motives?"

"Even if you knew it was going to take you this long?" Dante asks, smoothing his shirt out again. He feels a slight sting from his scar, giving him a slight wince and Vergil notices. "You know I wasn't about to trek my way around this area unless I had a good reason to. But yeah, let's just say that entire spiel you gave answered that question."

 _Even if it wound up being a runaround response._ The knight silently grouses, taking one more look around this near-bare room. Nothing, then. His Father had nothing to remind him of Mother and Dante. There's a punch in his gut that Dante swallows, making him wonder if Sparda cared any less for anyone else except for his own family. Based on what Vergil said just now, it sounded as if- well, shit, he probably should visit his Mother's grave and tell her that his Father was an outright asshole who didn't deserve her love and kindness. The tales she told were a veil for how lonely she must have been, how long she wanted to meet with him again and Dante understood that. He became a knight because he looked up to Sparda the warrior, not Sparda the shithead dragon who used people for his own reasons.

Did this mean he used his Mother for the sake of bearing children?

"There is one item Father kept that belonged to Mother." Vergil quietly says and Dante looks up, seeing Vergil perturbed. His eyes are still locked on Dante's and the other wonders how long he was staring at him. "If you still want to see some semblance of proof he cared."

Dante looks up at him, surprised. A part of him wonders what that item could be; it can't be the items he has still hidden in his bag. So, what could his Father have that reminded him of them?

"Fine, show me. I don't have anything better to do except to do." Dante scowls, tightening his left fist before he winces. Oh, right, there is one other thing he needs to do. "Before that, shit, how long does that paste last?"

"Dante." A cool hand on his shoulder and he sees Vergil approach him. "Let me help with it, at least."

"With what?"

"Your wound on your left hand." Vergil sighs, frustration entering his eyes again. "Let me heal you with what tools I have."

Dante considers it for a brief second before shaking his head. "Thanks, but I've dealt with more scars that are just as painful. I think the medical kit can help with the process." He walks past the other, leaving the room to navigate his way back to the guest room, but he hears the other follow him, catching up to him and Dante turns to face him. "Seriously, can you get the hint that-"

"When I said I want to help you, I mean it." Vergil's hand finds the other's wrist this time. His face twists to something that Dante thinks looks like worry. "If the wound is severe and is affecting you, then at least show it to me and let you know what is best."

"So you can pour more salt to it?" Dante mutters, realizing that Vergil will not let off anytime soon. A self-deprecating chuckle escapes him, noting that his twin is stoic. "It's a joke, Vergil. I hope you know I didn't mean it."

"Then I hope you know I tell you the truth when I said I refuse to harm you." Vergil says. "Gather your medical kit and the bandages Trish gave you. We'll talk more after I inspect your wound."

"In your Study, then?" Dante witheringly asks and groans when Vergil smirks back. "I fucking knew it. I shouldn't be surprised about that. Let me guess, it's not just for privacy since nobody else is coming in, then. Since you banished Griffon to... who knows where the hell you made him go. Same with Trish-" He blinks, turning to his twin. "Say, where **is** she? What errand did you send Trish off on that concerned me?"

Vergil frowns, "Her business doesn't concern you and it shouldn't. Does that bother you, brother mine?"

Something in Dante indicates to him that Vergil should know about his entire situation with Lady and what he's really going there for. But a part of him wants to keep quiet about it all; he recalled what he told Griffon. There are matters Dante want to solve on his own and Vergil has no idea. He shouldn't. He has no idea what Dante wanted to do when he finds his Mother's murderer and perhaps far better if Vergil should stay out of his way.

But he wonders if Rebellion did show Vergil that day and what came after.

"Not really." Dante huffs, walking in his room. He attempts to brush off the lingering stare Vergil gives him, but for some reason, it officially stuck on him. Shit, he can still how close Vergil was to him earlier back in their Father's empty room... he shivers, running his hand through his hair to calm himself. "I'll grab the kit and bandages." A thought strikes him and Dante turns to glare at him, "Don't come in."

"As if I have a need to." The other turns back, leaning against the wall and Dante simply rolls his eyes, entering in to see that nothing has been disturbed since the morning. He fishes out the medical kit from his bag before feeling the objects that are still in the hidden pocket. He pauses, debating on whether he should take them out. He can take out the mirror, but he wonders if he should take the other three things out just to check on them and see how they are.

"...maybe." Dante quietly mumbles, absently mindedly picking on his own amulet. He wonders if it's a good idea to show Vergil the things their Mother left for Dante...

* * *

Vergil closes his eyes, still feeling the tingles of Dante's warmth from earlier. It brands on his skin, seeps its way in and he grips his right hand. He knows he should tell his twin that Sparda left him the castle and told Vergil he knew the other would rather do everything to find Dante again- even if it meant compromising the plan Sparda initially had for **both** of them.

 _By leaving Dante to waste away his powers and heighten mine? And leaving him to be alone, without me? You don’t know anything about me, Father._ His anger returns, silently cursing Sparda and Eva for thinking of this. They knew Dante and Vergil were close- as children. But the way they made Dante forget about him, everything they said, that they promised-

 _I will refuse to forget. Not when it concerns you, Dante._ He peers in to see Dante look at his satchel and Vergil wonders if his twin intends to still forge on leaving him here, going about his business...

And Dante is to meet up with this Queen Mary Vergil knew to be new to the throne. Rebellion showed him those events and there is a flare of something that twisted in him that sparked hearing that. As a child, he felt that same, strange flare when Dante started to talk about his new friends he made in the village. That same flare grew as he grew older, wondering who has interacted with Dante and dared to replace him as his equal. Now he can feel that flare gnawing at him, reminding him that he has to start all over and reclaim what’s rightfully his.

Vergil silently swears he won't let another threat come and attempt to kill Dante again. The earlier balking question Dante had given to him about trapping him in this place tempts him so. But he knows he will need to gain the other's trust that Vergil will never abandon him like Sparda did to Eva. Then to try and awaken Dante's powers and...

...and then...

 _Did you forget our promise, brother mine?_ His fist tightens. _The one we made as children?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's a fun fact: I got sick and had to recover for an entire week, so that was... well, hell is a nice way to put it. On the other hand, it sort of made me not write for that time I was recovering. And when I did- yeah, short version of this is: Don't get sick. Try not to, at least.  
> Also if you're wondering why this chapter sounds a bit on the rocky side, the above explanation is why.   
> Thanks to nevilliven for their help with this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy this!

_Hey Mom._

_Dante? Oh, your face! What happened to you?_

_It's... it's just the usual._

_Oh, sweetheart. Is it about how you look again?_

_And I don't have a father. But this time, Mom, they were talking horrible things about you too. I tried to tell them it wasn't all of that, that..._

_Dante. What else did they say?_

_You won't like it, Mom. It's all horrible things that aren't true._

_Tell me anyway. I want to hear what these people say about us. Then I will let them judge and see if these things come true. I'll protect you until the right day comes, Dante. I promise I'll help you with everything I have._

_...Okay. I promise._

* * *

"Well, well, look who finally shows up back here." Griffon tilts his head when they both enter in Vergil's study. "In case you're wondering this time, Mister-Dark-And-Gloomy, no, I'm not interested in hearing your conversations in the future, but at least consider where you teleport me next time!"

Vergil glares at Griffon, but Dante laughs, feeling very sorry for the poor bird. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't fare any better on our talk at all." Now he can feel that glare aim back at him, but Dante doesn't say anything about it.

"Oh! Well then." Griffon cackles. "Guess this is an indicator I gotta stay here-"

"Only because Dante enjoys your company for a strange reason. But I prefer if we had our talk in **private.** " Vergil, on the other hand, sounds ire before walking over to one of his few cabinets, opening the glass doors. "Would you like to see yourself out this time, Griffon?"

"Are you kidding me?" Griffon ruffles his feathers before he scoffs, glancing at Dante with an apologetic glance. "Sorry, pal. Master Vergil wants me outta here since the Master's word overrides yours."

"Seriously?" Dante witheringly asks, glaring at Vergil's back. "I'm fine with the extra company-" He notices the bird flapping away and the knight makes a mental note to ransack the kitchen to find some treats for Griffon. "Or... not. Note to self. Treat people **and** animals better if they're proven to be helpful."

"Griffon can only provide help when he has a benefit in return. Did you bring what you needed to replace your soiled bandages?" He hears Vergil ask.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Dante scoffs, setting down the series of clean wrappings before opening the tinier leather pouch. He smells the medicinal herbs from the unopened tonic before taking out clean clothes. Setting the pouch down and placing the fabric on the desk, Dante looks at his left hand before slowly unravelling the bandages on his hand. "This is just as bad as the last time I had to tend to my wounds." The knight mutters to himself, slowly undoing the last layer as he sees the dark pink splotches that presents his wound. _Is that medical paste Trish made effective? It's_ doing something when he first applied it, but it's not healing his wound fast enough. He winces when he slowly opens his hand to get better access to the soiled bandages.

"Dante?" He hears Vergil approach him. His cool hands gingerly takes Dante's left hand and inspects it. The cut is red and slowly cracking back open to reveal some blood seeping out. "I thought... my cut still hurts you." Vergil murmurs, stunned.

"No shit, I need to clean the wound and-" Well, this feels worse than the chest scar. Dante can feel some of his magic attempting to kick in and knit the scarred tissue, but there is something that prevents it from happening. It hurts. It really hurts and the pain that he is experiencing now is **nothing** compared to his chest scar. "Shit, it's not letting me heal like before."

"Stay still. I believe I know why." Vergil commands him, opening the cork to the green bottle he has before taking Dante's hand again. "Whatever you do, do **not** flinch or move when I pour this serum over your wound."

"Wait. Why?" Dante warily asks, eyeing the green bottle. He knew Vergil said he had something that could help with Dante's scar. Is this it? "Is it poison? Or some sort of salt solution?"

He hears the other click his tongue, staring at him. "Do you have to regard everything I do with suspicion, brother mine?"

"Tell me what you're going to do to my wound first." The knight demands, feeling a cold sweat coming on. A part of him is panicking, trying to prepare for the worst. "Is it going to hurt?"

"The serum will expedite with the healing process. It will hurt, but only for a second." Vergil says, his hand tightening his hold on Dante's trembling hand. "But I need you to calm down when I pour this all."

"Calm down...?" Dante mumbles before looking at Vergil. "You better be right when it says it'll hurt for a second-!!" He tries not to scream, biting his lower lip when he smells something sharp and bitter. A cold, frigid feeling grips his left hand and Dante wants to dump whatever it was that Vergil poured on his wound out. But he can't close his fists or wipe away the cooling liquid. Not when he sees Vergil hover his other hand over the wound and starts to say something in that low, unknown tone and Dante suddenly feels the frigid magic surge into the wound, seep in and intertwine with Dante's warmth to neutralize the pain.

A few more words and Vergil gently lets go of Dante's hand, the pain subsiding and Dante gasps, finally finding his breath that he held in before looking down at his left hand. The seal is fading away and the scar is now a light flesh color, no longer emitting phantom pain. But Dante still smells the sharp medicine that coats his palm. "What did you... I never used my magic with medicine." He wheezes. "That spell you did-"

"It is because you are too used to your own natural healing. This serum is something I made to hasten the healing process; I casted a spell that will help with it." Vergil says and Dante glares at him. "Did it hurt?"

"Initially." Dante mumbles, attempting to move his left hand. "It doesn't as much."

"Good. Give me the bandages. It's better if you let my magic do its work."

"Will it be the same process tomorrow until your sword cut fully heals?" Dante hands the clean wrappings to his brother. "Or is it something I have to wait and see until it starts aching again?"

"That depends. But I doubt it will hurt you after this." Crisp linen meets his skin, slowly wrapping around his left hand in a snug, tight fit. "From the way you were behaving, you held back the pain until now."

"Well, your sword cut actually hurts." Dante grumbles, glaring at Vergil's sword. It's leaning against the wall and the knight swears he can hear the sword scoff back at him. "I thought being stabbed by Rebellion was bad. But Yamato has a bite that I don't like."

Vergil falls silent, even as he finishes wrapping the bandages. But he doesn't let go of Dante's hand, his thumb gently smoothing over the covered palm. "I have said the swords are an extension of us, but I wasn't... Yamato knows how I feel about your seal. Perhaps my feelings on seeing that mark on your palm made my hatred obvious."

 _I bet your sword hates me too for some reason._ Dante resists the urge to snide about it. Instead, he slowly pulls his hand away to inspect it, not wanting to comment on the numbing feeling the serum gave him, smelling the sharp bitter herbs that coat all over his left hand, or how he can still feel Vergil's magic seep and combine with Dante's magic. "Thanks for patching up the wound." Dante mutters, his right hand slowly memorizing the way the bandages wrapped around his hand. "At least I know what to do when I wake up tomorrow when it hurts like a bitch again." _Though do I have to use that serum and whatever you said that I can't decipher to help heal it?_

"Your wound should heal by tomorrow night. The latest being within two days." Vergil moves away, eyes on Dante. He looks concerned still, his gaze shifting to Dante's hand before he gathers the empty bottle and the cork to dispose of it. "I still want to look at it just in case."

"So I have to deal with the medicine and your spells again?" Dante warily says before he scoffs, lowering his left hand to let it heal. "That's a generous offer, but I'll be the judge of the wound myself."

"By suffering through your own again?"

"Not when you say it like that!" Dante balks, straightening up to storm out of this study. "Screw it, I don't think asking for your help will do me much good if-" He swears he hears the door shut and click its lock and Dante glares at Vergil. "Really?"

"Leaving me right now will prove nothing and we were in the middle of a conversation." Vergil calmly says. "And I very much doubt fighting me will do the same, given the condition of your left hand."

"You are not giving me much choice on what to do here." Dante darkly mutters, his right hand running through his hair in exasperation. "What the hell else am I supposed to do while my hand heals then?"

"We can still talk." Vergil flatly says, his eye twitching. "Or has your dramatic antics over your injury made you forget what we were talking about?"

"Shut up." The knight shoves the temptation to flip the dragon off, especially since he knows Vergil can happily transform and crush him with his talons at any time. So Dante decides to take the nearest chair and plants his butt on it, glaring back at his draconic twin. "Fine, let's keep talking. What about that item Father had you were going to show me?"

"I'll show you after a few more questions of my own." Vergil says and Dante's eye twitches, silently wondering how much more Vergil has to know, stop stalling!

 _But he does have the right to ask._ The more cautious voice in Dante's mind pipes up. _Isn't it better to give him what he wants than to leave you hanging? He told you what that seal on your left hand was. Why not indulge him a bit? Maybe let him lax and trust you so you can safely get out of here without any form of trouble?_

Ah. ...right. The other reason he's putting up with talking to Vergil.

"Your faux name, Dante. About Tony Redgrave." Vergil starts. He shifts to make himself comfortable in his chair as he leans back. "Why do you hide your real name?"

Dante doesn't bat an eye to this. He should have expected this question; anything about his past should come first to Vergil. "The fake name came with a disguise. I needed to blend in with normal people; having my usual looks wouldn't get me far. My normal looks got me into trouble when it was just me and Mother. You know, being the child freak, the living ghost... not things any kid wants to be known as." He hears Vergil lowly breathe. His magic stirs with sudden flares of anger and Dante glares at him. "Don't even think about it. Some of those guys died in the war and the others moved on after they realized Mother died."

Vergil sighs, his magic subdued. It wasn't a satisfactory answer, but it was better than no response. "Did all of this occur after Father and I left?"

"Ah, wait. That's two questions in a row." Dante perks up, "I am not going to answer that yet. Answer one of mine first."

Vergil frowns before he grunts. "Very well. If that is how you would like for this to be."

"I like to consider myself a fair player." Dante says, swearing he heard the other snort in amusement. "Why did Father leave?"

"Why, he didn't say." Vergil narrows his eyes. "But he told me it was an urgent matter and that I can take care of my own affairs here, to which I already had prepared for. Answer my question, Dante mine, since this is the best I can offer."

Right, Vergil doesn't have any specific about their Father's disappearance either. Dante was going to say that response wasn't what he was looking for but decides to give him the benefit of doubt. _I guess it's up to me to find out by going back to Father's now abandoned room._ "...yeah, the bullying, fake name, and Mother's death happened all after you both left." _For safety and for whatever plan Father had you were not happy about._ Dante can sense the spiking, bottling magic from the other and the knight blinks. "What are you angry about? The bullying happened all in the past."

"Yet you were forced to endure through it all." Vergil seethes, his anger making the room's warmth notch to incoming anger. "How can you still protect those who scorned you years later in a war you nearly died in?"

"Like I said, I had nowhere else to go after Mother died." The only place he could try to visit is his Mother's grave where some kind priests took her ashes and buried her in a graveyard with a gravestone for Dante to find. "But the words go away after years of dealing with these people. They're not so bad when I got to know them better."

"As Dante or as Tony Redgrave?"

Dante opens his mouth before clamping it shut, eyes glaring at Vergil. "Fine, since you're going to not stop until you get your answers, they only know Tony Redgrave. Not Dante, the freak with silver hair and blue eyes who lives with the whore of a mother and has no father to speak and defend the honor of. Happy to hear that response?" He bitterly finishes, tasting the anger on his tongue when he spoke of the very harsh words that made him cry every night. He can expect indifference from his twin, who hasn't lived with this sort of ordeal he has.

What he wasn't expecting is for Vergil to stew in his seat with unbridled anger, eyes closed and fury weaving in his magic before opening them, revealing the serpentine draconic eyes dilate and shift back to his human ones. A deep breath escapes him and then Vergil says, "And you said some of those people are no longer among us."

"Vergil, what's done is done. I'm sure you out of all people know that." Dante sighs, sounding exhausted all of the sudden. He's not sure why, but he knows he's heard parts of that strange spell Vergil said earlier from another time. "Those people also felt bad after Mother passed away. They weren't there that night either."

Vergil's eyes narrow, his anger not lifting. Then he grits out, "Summon your sword."

"...excuse me?" Dante blinks, sounding rather incredulous at this. "You want me to- what?? How the heck can I summon Rebellion out of thin air- what are you talking about, 'summon your sword'!?"

"It is as I simply said." Vergil stands and outstretches his right hand. A whirl of frigid magic waves through and Yamato appears in his hand, sheathed and obedient to its master's command. "Like so."

Dante gapes for a second, silently wondering if this does have to do with their magic before clamping his mouth shut. "...you really want me to do that, like how you dramatically just get Yamato out, like that. Can't I just leave the office and get my sword like a decent person that I am because I left it in my room?" _And maybe **not** fight? Because my left hand still aches from whatever you poured onto it?_

"I want to see your swordsmanship." Vergil states, his glare obvious.

"But I thought you saw it." Dante says, confused. What is wrong with Vergil? Is he having some form of mood swings or fueled by whatever Dante said was already done? What is he thinking in that mind of his? "You know, when I attacked you yesterday?"

"This time is different." The noble says. "Come. Fight me, brother mine. I want to see what 'skills' you amassed in that idiotic war, 'captain'."

Dante frowns, not sure if he wants to. His left hand is trying to heal, his head is still sorting through the unleashed memories, and Vergil may or may not be in the right state to so anything, given that he's acting based on his anger that Dante keeps sensing.

He hears Vergil grunt, "Is something holding you back? You still don't have Rebellion in hand."

"I'm trying to think if this is the best time for me to do something strenuous to myself, you know, given that my left hand is now healing." Dante shows him the bandaged hand, feeling really annoyed about this. "Didn't you also say that fighting won't solve anything earlier?"

"I changed my mind. It seems to trigger more things for you, brother mine." Vergil lowers his sword. He flips the blade to place it on his belt before walking towards Dante. "I forgot to mention this earlier. You would constantly beg for me to play with the wooden swords Father crafted for us. When I refused, you would act up until I relent."

"And you and I would always see who is better at beating each other. The last time we played with those wooden toys, I think we tied..." Dante finishes, eyes widening. The laughter and playful taunts Dante goaded Vergil with; dirt and grass stains on their clothes; the wooden swords clashing; the tallied wins that were carved on the wooden handles - it comes to him and he sees Vergil looking back at him with astonishment. "What?"

"You still remembered our scores, then." Vergil murmurs. A faint smile crosses his face and for a minute, Dante swears his twin's anger lowered a notch. "I thought you forgot."

 _No, I... I remembered that. I also- then wait. Does this mean..._ "I just remembered something else."

"And what would that be?"

"I did beat you last time. By one win." Dante grins laughs when Vergil scowls, glowering with childish annoyance. "And people know of it now."

"As the captain and of your mercenary like talents." Vergil's eye twitches and Dante grins back. "Do you still hold onto that ludicrous title?"

"Well, it's an honor to fight for whatever bullshit this nation lives for." Dante dryly chuckles, "For me? Nah. It's all politics. All talk and no give. There's no benefit for me when I left the Army." _And I had nothing and nobody to fight for. The other jobs I had didn't help, at first. Not until I met Lady and her band of fighters and got caught up in her business..._ A fond smile appears, recalling the kind and reassuring words they gave him, even when things seemed bleak in their adventure to take back Lady's kingdom. Even if some of them doubted him for the first few days, the trust and comradery he experienced were worth the pain and effort of taking Lady's rightful home back.

"I see." He hears Vergil say. "Amuse me about something. The person from the other kingdom you are going to see, should I ask what you are to her?"

That makes Dante pause before he nervously grins. _Oh hell, here we go. Time to play dumb, Dante._ "I have no idea who you are referring to-"

"Your **friend** , Dante." Vergil sounds venomous all the sudden and it shouldn't send chills down Dante's spine. But it does. Why does Vergil sound angry when he said it like that? "The apparent newly appointed Queen Mary?"

 _...oh shit, how does he know her name!?_ Dante stills, wondering how in the fucking hell did he-

"It wasn't just Rebellion that showed me **those** events." Vergil seethes, within steps and being close to Dante. "You mentioned it."

"Wait, how did I-"

"Your voice echoes through these very halls." A very vicious smirk appears, his anger coursing with his draconic ice magic. "I heard what you told Griffon."

 _Ohhh no._ "Every... thing?" Dante weakly asks, feeling the blood drain from his face all of the sudden. He really should have known better than to trust silent walls.

"Every word you told Griffon about her, Dante mine." There is something else in his twin's voice that Dante can't identify. Wait, that's not his concern. The fact that Vergil knows about Lady makes Dante pale and scared. He's angry at himself for being so obvious about it- Fuck. He screwed himself over. How, he has no idea, but his fear overwhelms his fury of how in the **fuck** did Vergil overhear all of that!? Dante was in his room when she called him and they both talked about-

"I'm." Dante swallows his fear down, slowly standing up from his chair. "I'm just her friend, Vergil. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Is that so." Vergil doesn't sound convinced. A scape of metal from its sheath and Vergil withdraws Yamato again. That asshole is watching him stand up, wondering what Dante will do next. "That still leaves another inquiry of mine: what are you both up to that is more important than staying here?"

Dante really, really hopes Rebellion is generous enough not to show Vergil his vengeance to Mundus. What he told Lady, what he swore on his Mother's grave, what his purpose for fighting is, what his revenge is. _I swear to the deities, if he knows about my plan to track down that murderous, righteous asshole-_

"That's none of your business." Dante states, gripping his fists. Shit. Shit shit shit. He probably should think about running far away from the Study, sprint to his room, grab his crap, and maybe make a run for it? With a possibly angry brother hot on his heels? An impossible feat to do, but this is bad. "My business with Lady are not yours to pry in!"

The business that they both talked with the others was to be their secret, their own plan to expose the wicked ones responsible for their mother's sudden deaths. Dante lost his mother to Mundus' supposed 'witch hunt', Lady lost her mother in the hands of her power-hungry father. They both have revenge on their minds, it was their supposed common goal before finding out they have other ideals and interests in common. But their plan is the same for two separate tormentors: To expose their deeds to the world was their goal. Dante wants to make Mundus pay for his mother's death; Lady wants her father to suffer for the misdeeds he inflicted on many people in his kingdom. Dante helped Lady with her dilemma by exposing King Arkham; Lady is to help Dante begin a path of investigations that will make him find Lord Mundus' exact location. Dante and Lady are connected by revenge; he helped Lady with her problem, now they are going to take down Mundus in return.

Vergil didn't know what it felt like to lose his only parent. Vergil never say that day in person. He wasn't even there- what right does Vergil have to ask Dante about this?

"Already on a first name basis, aren't you?" Vergil narrows his eyes and Dante suddenly feels that draconic magic spike. "Answer me."

"If you want me to tell you that," Dante hopes Vergil will leave this alone, but he stops himself from continuing. He doesn't want to escalate the situation any more than it already has. He swallows the large lump in his throat, not wanting to notice that Vergil's eyes shift towards his neck and back to him. Dante silently prays that Yamato doesn't go anywhere near his neck. “I really don't want to fight you right now."

"I know you don't. I didn't want to push it into that direction, but you are forcing me to." Vergil calmly says, his fury hidden in his calm expression. He hasn't drawn out Yamato... yet. "Tell me what you and Queen Mary were up to that makes it more urgent than what I want from you."

"What- wait, what happened about the entire 'summon Rebellion out of thin air'!?"

"I'm still waiting for that." A dark smirk appears. "You can summon Rebellion, Dante mine. Much like how you saw Yamato come to my hands with a beckon, it will appear to you." Vergil responds, his fury hidden among his calm expression. "Didn't I tell you that your sword is an extension of yourself?"

"Vergil," Dante was about to protest, but he feels Yamato's blade on his skin. Fine, he can play along with this... summoning your weapons schtick. Anything to divert his attention from talking about Lady and her situation Dante helped her with. Then he can try to parry and take Yamato off Vergil's hands. Or maybe he can talk Vergil out of fighting. But how? "So you're telling me I can summon my own sword without leaving this room."

"Am I foolish to tell you otherwise, brother mine?" Vergil barely tilts his head back, cockily daring Dante to argue against him. His voice is still calm. "Do you think I will hide things from you when you deserve to know better?"

The knight frowns, "No offense, but you seem to be the type who would."

"Tch! What a ridiculous response." The noble sneers, his lips curling downward. "Do you really think I will do that to the only person I care for?"

"As in, whoever you plan to woo in the future? Probably, given how well you're doing right now." Dante mutters, silently praying that Vergil will take the hint that he is not interested in any altercation right now. He really wants out of this mess, not to be involved in yet another fight that might result in yet another scar and this will make Dante land back in recovery which he is not keen on, especially in this place. But another thing bothers him. "Why do you want to know my business with Lady so badly?"

"Would you be foolish to not let me in the affairs I already know of?" Vergil shoots back, the blade shifting and now he feels Vergil step closer to him, the blade cool and pressing against his neck. "I have been forced to part from you, then finding you again, I see events take place that I should be a part of, by **your** side. Do you think I would want to be left out from parts of your life, brother mine?"

Dante glares back at him, feeling a flare of his magic slowly burst . "Did you think I wanted to be a part of whatever you said Father did just to separate us when all he did was slap a seal on my palm just to make me forget about you?"

He can hear the draconic fury tint Vergil's voice, "Then you know how I feel, the overwhelming annoyances you have that I possess when I find out you have done things without my knowledge. You will tell me what business you possibly have with this Queen." The elder says, Yamato not wavering. "Or, if you prefer to talk it out with our blades."

The knight really does not want the second option to occur at all.

"It's your choice." Vergil calmly says. "Either way, I will get what I want."

 _Which is what, exactly? You didn't tell me what it is you want!_ Dante glares at his brother, a flare of annoyance raising up in him. "You know what? Forget about me summoning Rebellion. I'm in no mood to fight today."

"Try harder." Vergil grits back, his seething cool breath tickling Dante's skin and Dante resists to shiver, feeling the other press his blade against his throat.

 _Oh for fuck's sake-!_ Dante tries not to scream his head off with the waving irritation. "If this is your version of hospitality towards any guests, it really sucks!"

"I thought I was being generous, all things considering." A harsh, malicious smirk emerges. Dante just narrows his eyes, an ire ticking his veins. "What would it be?"

There really no other option for him except to talk about it. His desire to fight is not there, he can feel his left hand growing a bit numb from whatever Vergil did to it earlier, and he just needs to sort out whatever information he got from Vergil earlier. _This doesn't go without mentioning but I really need to recover._ His mind reminds him. _As much as I'm not going to admit it, I should take advantage of staying here until I get what I need to get out of here. For that to work, I... ugh. Do I really have to do this?_

What other way is there? He needs to gain a semblance of Vergil's trust if Dante is allowed to venture around this castle and its grounds on his own. And for that to be... A horrible feeling wells in Dante's gut. This does not feel right to betray his common sense and keep his mouth shut about his dealing with Lady. Whatever he told Griffon earlier about not telling Vergil about her and her comrades is null. _But at least he'll keep his trap shut about certain details I told him._

"Fine. I'll talk." Dante grits out. "Just don't press Yamato against me like that-! You'll slit my throat one of these days. Or worse, actually stab me with that sword."

The strange look appears on Vergil's face again, letting the silence linger. Then the sharp blade leaves his throat and Dante heaves in relief, finding feeling in his neck. Good, no pricking or blood escaping from any cuts. The relief was a bit short lived when he hears footsteps and Vergil is close to him, eyes trailing over to see if he did leave any nicks or marks. Dante opens his mouth, about to ask what his twin wants when he feels Vergil's fingers gently trace where the blade was.

"I will never harm you, Dante mine." Vergil quietly reaffirms, staring intently at him before stepping back, his hand withdrawing from tracing Dante's neck. "Not again."

"Again?" Dante echoes, eyes narrowed and mind in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

No response. Instead, Vergil's lips twitch to a slight upward tilt before returning to its calm, indifferent glance. "Will you talk about it now?"

"Are you going to threaten me again?" Dante asks back. "Like you nearly did to me twice today." _Like hell I would take that as your hospitality now!_

"No." Vergil growls, eyes narrowed before returning to his desk, sitting back on his chair and Dante does the same, checking his neck one more time for any scratches Yamato left on him. "The last time I did that, a fear of mine came true."

"I wonder what **that** would be?" Dante mutters to himself, not wanting Vergil to answer it whatsoever. "Probably has to deal with a mistake you made, and you didn't forgive that poor person." He closes his eyes, calming his nerves before facing his twin again. "So, you want to know what I went through that time. Fine, I'll tell you. But you have to swear me something."

Vergil stills before he asks, "What would that be?"

"That you can't tell anyone what I'm telling you." Dante has already told Griffon. The last thing he would want is for word to reach Lord Mundus that Dante is after him. And now for... well, for Vergil to know was inevitable. It was either by Lady's letter or Dante spilling everything. It looks like the latter is to take place. "I don't want anyone else to be involved with this. Not since..."

He trails off, closing his eyes as the day his Mother died returns to him. He knows she meant well when she stood up to defend him and the group of people who were more than grateful for her help. But for someone else to be involved in his affairs is going to endanger them. Even if Dante admits a part of him is relieved at knowing Vergil is still alive, years later, a part of him wants Vergil to at least stay out of his affairs for the fear of losing him. He is his only remaining family left. Who knows where their Father is for Dante to ask for help.

"It's not too late for you to say-"

"I want to know." Vergil firmly says and Dante looks up to see Vergil leaning over his desk, his interest piquing. "I will not give up until you tell me those events."

 _Curiosity will get the better of you one day, Vergil. Like what it did to me..._ The knight wonders if dragons have the propensity to ask for so many things, being naturally curious about everything in his business. Was Dante imagining this? He shoves those thoughts aside and mutters, "Anything to appease your own interests, huh...?" _I still don't plan to involve you with my plan. As far as I'm concerned, going after Lord Mundus is **my** problem, not yours._

He hears a huff and Vergil quietly mutters something that Dante didn't catch. "Sorry?"

"...something I have noticed, but I'll keep that thought to myself." Vergil muses before glancing at him, patiently waiting for his twin to start. "When you're ready."

 _When... it sounds like I'm talking to a cleric._ A bitter, saddened smile creeps to Dante's face before he clears his throat. This one he can at least keep it down to the basics; he'll try to gloss over some details he believes doesn't interest Vergil. After all, what dragon would be interested in hearing a tale about his and Lady's revenge plan?

This one, apparently.

"I met Lady and her company a year ago."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work is... slowly kicking my butt. ARGH. Anyway, enjoy this very delayed chapter! (Please keep kicking me to update. XD)

If there is one thing Dante has grown better at, it's knowing how much not to reveal. He knows Vergil wants to hear everything- as mentioned, but Dante finds this to be severely unreasonable. But he decides to sate this dragon's curiosity and tell him what he wants to hear.

By that, he tells Vergil how he met Lady and her crew of fighters she's recruited to assist with her power-hungry father who wanted to take her life and consume the other kingdoms. As for why, Dante still thinks Arkham wanted to be absolute ruler and take all what he can, rule with his iron fist for whatever selfish dealing he wants. A part of him knows it's deeper than this, yet he doesn't budge into it.

There is a line between revealing everything and spilling too much. Dante doesn't want to cross it; not as far as he's concerned. The details, he thinks, shouldn't matter to the person listening.

But Vergil...

"Did you take that job for the sake of payment?" Vergil asks, earning Dante's baffled stare. "Or was there another motivation for it?"

The asshole has the audacity to interrupt and ask this right before he got to the part where Dante accepted the job.

"I don't take jobs for the sake of payment." Dante scoffs, kicking himself for lying about this. There are a few smaller jobs he took that paid more than typical. The menial, simple tasks earned him free board for the night if the client asked for it. There are times when the job paid more than typical, which allows Dante more freedom to purchase some extra sets of clothing, rations, and or some relics that can help him with spell amplifying or boosting Rebellion's power. He has to admit, the extra pay feels good.

The noble stares at him and hums. "As reassuring as it is for me to hear that you are trying to sound noble in your independence, it sounded like you did take some for money." Vergil sounds exasperated. Dante flares back, about to say something, but Vergil continues, "No matter. It will not be a worry for you in the future."

"In- what do you mean by 'not a worry for you in the future'?"

"It is exactly as I am telling you."

Dante gapes, his mind clicking in. The knight feels a flare of annoyance kicking in. In what right does Vergil tell Dante what he can do and he can't!? "Wha- you sound as if you want me to stop being a mercenary." He glares back at him. "Any good reason why, Vergil? You know it's my way of living, right?"

"For that, I will remind you that you are currently in my residence. And you, brother mine, are my guest I refuse to endanger." Vergil's eyes stare back at him, intent on making this statement sear in Dante's mind. "Unless you have a problem with your current accommodation."

Dante opens his mouth to protest, but he snaps his mouth shut. Argh.

"Continue." Vergil gestures for him to and Dante glares at him before settling back in his seat. "Where you left off-"

"I already know where." Right, he saved Lady and Nevan from perverted drunken assholes. Asshole interrupts him before he got to the part where he accepted their offer. "Anyway. They were grateful- in their own way that I came in to save their lives..." He skims over the part where they found out that he wasn't Tony Redgrave within the first hour. Vergil doesn't need to know that yet.

He went on to tell about the series of events that lead him to realize Lady's situation was far more complicated than he gave credit for: the multiple assassination attempts on all of them but Lady; the false bounties on most of them that someone posted up for taking Lady back alive, and the monsters that wore strange sealings on them as if someone is directly commanding them to kill the party. Dante had no issues putting two and two together: someone wanted Lady alive, but the rest dead. As for why, he told him as it is.

"She had some sort of power sealed in her when she was a baby." Dante purses his lips. The memory of when Lady broke down and revealed to all of them why a madman was after her remains fresh in his mind. "Her mother and her family line were... strong enough to seal a powerful ritual away. Or a God. All I know is that her father wanted those powers for his own use."

Vergil is silent before he looks at Dante, causing the knight to frown. _Please don't tell me-_ "And? What did you do then?"

"Help her. I saved her from being molested by some horrible douchebag. What else am I supposed to do, abandon her?" A part of him fears Vergil would try and take advantage of the fact his friend wields some unsurmountable amount of power. His eyes narrow, "You do realize that by some way, I retained some idea of what I'm supposed to hold onto as a knight."

"Hmn." Vergil closes his eyes, taking some deep breath like a drama queen he is before murmuring something.

"What?" Dante frowns, leaning forward. "I can't hear what you just-"

"I said whatever you are thinking doesn't correlate to what I am thinking about."

_Huh?_

"A part of you believes I would ask you about your relation to your friend, the Queen, because she has a power that would serve nothing to me." Vergil leans back, sounding rather accusatory. "Are you quick to judge me again, brother mine? Not knowing what I really want is far different than what you believe in this wild imagination of yours?"

"Ah. Well." Dante can't deny that he's right about that. Instead, the knight swallows his incoming words and grumbles, "...you know why I think of this."

"Like I said, her power means nothing to me. I would have no use for it, even if the idea of sealing something far greater than a deity intrigues me." The noble glares back at him. "But no, that does not give you a reason to believe I would do such thing."

"Then why are you asking me about my relation to her? I'm her friend and there is nothing more to it." Dante scoffs. This is really starting to bother him. "That is all there is to it about us."

"You both didn't go further beyond being comrades?" Vergil asks.

"No! Also, I know her preferences, you dipshit." Dante glares back, silently wondering if his twin knows a thing about respect. _Good God. I really hates it when people attempt to pry into others' businesses without a care in the world._ "I'm not engaged to her. I only look at her like a comrade who knows how to respect my boundaries. That should give **you** an obvious hint." Lady even said outright that Dante is the closest to her type, yet something about him doesn't strike her as 'the one' for her.

It goes make Vergil sit up, a slight shock registering before he hums in... relief?

Huh?

"I see." Vergil murmurs. "Yet you still aid her in what way?"

"I was going to get to that." The knight grits out. "Stop interrupting me."

"I will ask you questions when I see fit." The noble smirks back. "It is your tale; you have the answers to whatever I need to know."

 _This prick!_ "And since when was **that** an option!?"

"Since you did the same to me when I read you stories as children." Vergil barely tilts his head as a sign of daunting jab. "Do you remember that, brother mine? When you would constantly bombard me with inquiries, I have no idea about until I finished reading it to you?"

Dante opens his mouth to protest, but clamps it shut, his face feeling rather warm.

The asshole's smile grows with his win. "Well?"

"Going back to where I was before you interrupted..." Dante tries not to feel humiliated and annoyed, arms crossed. He chalks it up to him not recalling that; he can hear himself asking Vergil so many things about a simple fairy tale that Vergil stares at him and threatens to shut the book at his fingers if he doesn't stop.

Wow. Such a kind twin he's related to. What other douchebag manners did Vergil pick up while Dante learned how to respect others?

Dante finally gets to where they confronted Arkham. The- now disposed and imprisoned- king greeted Dante, Lady, and their band of warriors with bombarding monsters and spells alike that would have massacred an army of normal men.

But Dante knows his comrades fare different than an army of knights. Thank god for their skills, magic, and skill. Morrison, Nevan, and Lady were frightening as a combo with their combined sword and magic. The warrior duo Rudra and Agni smacked all of the demons down as if they were playthings. The dragoon Beowulf, berserker Ifrit, and Dante were taking care of the heavy hitters before clearing the way towards the palace. They got in with a goal in their mind: help Lady and get her insane father out of the way so she can live in peace.

Arkham, however had other plans for all of them. He almost succeeded, too, had it not been for a last minute protection spell Dante gave everyone when Lady suggested they split up to cover more ground.

He wanted to delay them for a while to finish his insane ritual by trapping most of them in the throes of their nightmares. It was a gimmick. Lady knew her father's tricks. Dante has gone through this before from another job. The same went for Morrison and Nevan as they were high in their magic class. In the end, Dante and Lady had to bail out Beowulf and Agni while Morrison and Nevan healed Ifrit and Rudra from their nightmares. By the time they confronted Arkham, however, they were too late: the ritual was prepared and set to go. The only thing left was a powerful blood to spill and trigger the spell.

"Was it your blood?" Vergil suddenly asks.

"No." Dante's eyes narrow, sensing a slight surge in magic from the other. It feels like a silent fury, threatening to tear the villain of Dante's experience to shreds with its icy breath and daggers. "But now that I think about it, Arkham was being vague as fuck about how my blood gave a small reaction to the seal."

"How." The dragon's anger slowly grows and Dante stares at him back. "Did he-"

"Okay, first of all, you know this all happened a year ago." Dante groans, feeling his own magic attempt to warm up the now frigid room because wow. It turns into an ice box Dante does **not** want to feel right now. "And two, Arkham isn't going to harm anyone. As in, he's locked up and magic sapped. There's no way he can move without triggering one of Morrison's permanent seals."

"Yet you do understand the possibility that someone might break into your friend's palace and bail him out." Vergil seethes, straightening up in his chair. "Perhaps he will take vengeance- his most likely target being the one who dealt the final blow to his plans. Who do you think **that** is, brother mine?"

Dante scoffs, glaring back at the noble. "I know **I'm** his first target. What, you didn't think I know of that? I knew of these possibilities, you know."

"Do you now?" Vergil asks with anger growling in his voice. "And here I am, being the one outsider who listens to your tale and hearing of your possible threat, brother mine, you do not believe that there is a chance of this happening to you!?"

"The reason I know it won't happen is because **I'll** get to the asshole who helped that douchelord in power, started to try a ritual to murder my best friend, protect the people who actually cared to listen, and will you stop **interrupting ME!!** " Dante roars back, feeling a flare of his anger mixing with his fire as he stands up, slamming his hands on the desk.

Silence hangs around them; harsh breaths for air fill the room, tense as they dare one to make the first move.

Then.

"...If that is the truth," Vergil stiffly says, eyes still intensely pinned on Dante's. "Then Arkham is no longer a threat to you or to anyone else."

"No." Dante roughly states. "I'm not repeating myself again about his current state, asshole."

Vergil is silent, but he leans back, fingers on his chin, as if he is contemplating something. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and Dante feels the cold subsiding to its normal, tepid air.

"Continue your tale." Vergil opens his eyes and Dante swears for a minute they flicker to that brilliant blue that signals his transformation. But no, it's... different. "Now that I have one of my questions answered."

"And that would be...?"

"I will not tell you, only because it isn't the most appropriate time." Vergil's smirk returns vicious and Dante can't help but let a small 'tsk' escape him from annoyance. "Only later, when it is better."

"That better come up soon." Dante darkly mutters before he calms himself. _Breathe, Dante, don't burn up anything else or Vergil might keep you here for life as payment._ "So. About the asshole trying to kill Lady and get her blood on the seal because Arkham is a power-hungry sadist that wound up killing his wife for the same reason." He almost hears a choke escape his noble twin, but Dante smirks at the baffled stare Vergil gives him. "What? Were you expecting me to say it differently?"

"I was not expecting for you to say it in this blunt manner." Vergil states, baffled. "You... are too familiar with this sort of deal."

"When you're a merc for hire, there's... some shit no nobles want to experience." The tales he told Griffon were on the deeper end. In hindsight, Lady's father was... a much different twisted, but at least he was organized. Ish. That castle he transformed to a labyrinth was hell though. "But yeah, back to finding out he needed Lady's blood, out of all people, to trigger his ritual of horrendous doom."

Horrendous doom was... an understatement. It could have been much worse. If Nevan and Beowulf haven't smudged and 'cleansed' off one of the runes, Arkham could have obtained the power of a God in the palm of his hand. The corrupt Arkham instead received the power of his own suffering; transforming into what Dante can best think of a cross between a pile of demon corpses liquefied and sewn together in a poor attempt of a mirror to be a demonic dragon. It took a bit of effort. Maybe too much; Dante knew how many weapons were decimated in the process. But with the amount of strength everyone had remaining, and with Lady revived thanks to Morrison, Agni, and Nevan's efforts to heal her rapidly as they could, they took the corrupt king down and transformed the horrible palace back to how it was before.

After all, everyone gave Dante the final blow to the monster's frightening crown.

But now that he hears himself talking about it, this gives Dante a point of hindsight. _Arkham said back then he had help; he wanted to aspire to be someone's right hand man, to only get the power of a God. He got them all, but he wanted to grow stronger, to be like a certain someone. Arkham didn't mention his name back then, but he did scream out **something** after I destroyed his weak point..._

_...what did he say, though...?_

He finishes, seeing Vergil look at him with a contemplative look on his face.

"You believe Arkham had some assistance, and you offered to investigate it on your own." Vergil says.

"Yeah; there's nothing else for me to do except to somehow repay the debt I owe her." Dante nods. He recalls that he did get the pay for his job well done, but something isn't complete. The entire party- now serving as Lady's entourage of advisers and leaders to help rebuild the kingdom- all knew. And Dante offered to be the first to find out who. He had some leads prior, but they ended up in dead ends. Now that the year has passed, Dante wanted to tell Lady a new plan; he could even take up residence as a fellow knight-in-arms to serve her while investigating.

...then this happens and now Dante is stuck in the castle with his now very much alive twin, who just so happens to be a dragon.

"There. End of story." Dante lifts his hands with exaggerated exasperation. "Happy now?"

Vergil ponders for a second. Then, "...somewhat."

"Huh!?"

"You're still not leaving." Vergil says and Dante stills. "I am not through asking you for more details."

"I told you about how I'm now friends with Queen Lady!"

"It isn't just about those I want to know." Vergil states and Dante glares at him. "You are aware that I can ask Rebellion to show me more without having to ask you in good faith."

 _Those things better not involve you finding out I wanted to avenge Mother's death._ The knight silently swears, but Dante places his hand on his face, feeling his mental fatigue kick in. For fuck's sakes. Dante had shoved it in the back of his mind, but he forgets Vergil can do just that and invade even more of his privacy.

Dante instead grumbles, "Something tells me I would need to wait and recover anyway before I blab a novel to you." He needs to get an update from Lady soon; his impatience is growing and Dante really wants to know when that letter can be sent. "So, thanks for letting me talk my brains out, but I'm going to go back to the room and think."

Vergil scoffs, not saying in return. Dante swears he hears the other chuckle, but he is clearly hearing things.

The knight opens the door, swearing he hears Vergil grunt before Dante strides out- and he feels the other next to him all of the sudden. "Whoa! What- how-"

"Dine with me tonight." Vergil suddenly says and Dante stares at him, baffled. "If you wanted to restore your faith in my hospitality."

Oh what the fuck! **Now** Vergil wants to play the gracious host after all of this!?

Dante feels his eye twitch. A part of him wants to know what is up with the sudden whiplash, but he shoves it down. He still feels salty about earlier. "How about I say no and I can just-"

"Leaving me to stew in my own thoughts doesn't help, brother mine." Vergil snarls and Dante can feel that draconic fury spark again. Okay, yes, Vergil is still ire about something; he isn't sure what it is. "Nor do your attempts to squirm your way out of this."

If Dante could, he wants to scream into a pillow. Badly. But he swallows it and hisses, "So why the insistence, Vergil? So we can try to get along again like we were kids?"

"If that was my true motive, I would have left you alone by now." Vergil frowns. "But no, it isn't merely just to reconnect."

"So what is it?" Dante asks again, feeling a bit bothered still. "I think most of my life has been shown or told to you in some way. Isn't that enough for you?"

The stare doesn't waver. "No."

"So blunt." Dante witheringly mutters to himself, but Vergil hears him. "Then why not say it already if you're too damn insistent?"

Vergil sighs. He crosses his arms, leaning against the doors. "I have said it in a different form to you earlier; it's rather complicated."

"Try me." Dante can deal with complicated and bullshit.

"Not yet."

"Then give it to me straight."

"If I do say it now..." Vergil trails off before he straightens himself. His eyes return to their hardened and indifferent glance. "No. Not yet. I have my reasons to not say anything to you regarding my own motives."

Dante wants to push the issue further, but he suspects this isn't going anywhere. They are at a impasse and Dante suspects he's not going to achieve anything else by talking to him like this. "...fine, but you know I will find out why you keep doing this."

"And if you do?" The noble tilts his head, daring for Dante to say something back in his sharp tongue. But his voice is... strangely strained with something. "Would you attempt to run from me if you do find out?"

The knight scoffs, narrowing his eyes. "As much as I want to, something tells me that will piss you off a bit more. So I'll hold off on prying into your business until later. By then, I might have an answer to that." _After I find a way to Lady's place and try to avoid this area for a long time. I hope._ Dante wants to ask if he has free reign to roam around Vergil's castle, but a part of him tells him that is not possible. Not yet, at least, until Dante has earned a good amount of whatever trust Vergil possesses in him.

...does Vergil trust him, though? Because it sounds as if the noble does for another reason.

"A fair response." Vergil pries off from the door, about to walk towards his desk.

"Then yes, I'll join you for dinner." The knight doesn't turn to see what expression the dragon has. Dante huffs, running his right hand through his hair. "Just. Let me rest first because I feel tired."

He knows Vergil is staring at him before he hears a satisfied hum escape. The icy air no longer remains; his magic is calm at this. _Only when I do something with you, then your magic calms down. Are you attuned to it so much?_

"At least let Griffon join us." Dante continues, hands on his hips. "I still feel bad for having to leave him out of our little talks."

Vergil scoffs, walking back to his desk. "If that is what you want, then, brother mine."

It shouldn't bother Dante, but the way Vergil says it makes the knight shiver. The way the words wrap around him as if the dragon already has his mark on him...

* * *

Dante manages to find his room without instruction and immediately lands on the bed. He groans in relief, feeling the comfort of the mattress on his body.

The talk with Vergil drained him out. Including what Vergil did to his left hand. Speaking of...

He lifts his hand to inspect the now tightly, newly bandaged hand. There are no pink splotches or any wet spots to indicate the wound is seeping through. But he can smell the potent potion Vergil poured on it and the magic that now binds itself to healing his wound. Dante lowers it and ponders. _This better heal or else I will personally deck you, Vergil._

Then he recalls agreeing to eat in the same room as said prickly douchebag and Dante groans. Even with Griffon in attendance, the knight knows this is going to be a very awkward affair. "This is going to be awful." Dante grumbles to the pillow before closing his eyes. "Like having to dine with a Beast. What a laugh." He hears his mother's voice tell a very aching familiar story and Dante grunts, allowing himself to take a nap.

_This better not turn out like a sappy love story, so help me Gods._

* * *

Dante wasn't sure how long time passed, but he feels a hand on his shoulders. He slowly blinks to the sun setting and seeing Vergil looking down at him, contemplating.

...contemplating? About what?

Dante turns his head to fully turn around. He winces, covering his eyes from the sunset light that covers the room. It looks like he's been sleeping with his back turned to the window. "Vergil...? Ngh, what time is it...?"

"Evening, if you must know." Vergil says. "The time says six and dinner has been prepared."

"Six...? Di- oh." Dante slowly blinks, feeling more awake as he sits up. The moments prior to his sleep return to his mind and he recalls agreeing to their slight affair. "And you... right, you still want me to come with you, right?"

"As we agreed." The noble stands to allow Dante to stretch his limbs and body out. "Your other clothing for tonight are on your desk. It should suffice for your night wear."

"I thought you wouldn't give me more clothing."

Vergil's smirk is sharp. "Not according to Trish when she first told me about your belongings."

Ah. Right. ...Dante forgot that his his only good set of clothing has blood stained on it and the other set were about to fall apart. He inspects the ones he has on now. "Then what about these ones?"

"You can have them. The ones I'm going to let you wear are yours." The noble says. "I am not going to let you return them as I have enough."

Dante frowns, a fragment of his memory revealing that Dante would take something of his twin's and never share it with him. "That's... great. Really. But I would rather if-"

"I **want** to give it to you." Vergil firmly states and Dante's eyes widen, staring up at him. "Despite your antics when we were young, I let you have it your way for most of the time."

"That's not helping me trying to find some way to pay you back." Dante huffs, standing up to make sure he looks decent. _And by that, are you implying you're going to have things your way now? How does this benefit me, exactly?_ "Are you sure you're fine with this idea?"

"Yes and no more protests." Vergil glances to him as Dante attempts to smooth his clothing and hair to make himself presentable. "You look fine the way you are, brother mine. Come, I have told Griffon and he is growing a bit impatient."

So Vergil must have told him he was welcome to join in. Good. Dante can at least have better company tonight. "I'll. Ergh. Yeah, why not." Dante manages to straighten out his hair, following Vergil out the door. "Lead the way, good sir-"

"Vergil."

Dante looks to see Vergil looking back at him. "Huh?"

"Nothing else but my name, Dante mine." Vergil says, a sliver of amusement appearing on his face. "I understand your method of stating it, but for the future."

The knight blinks, swearing his mind is playing a trick on him because- was he smiling? That does not stop the faint warmth on his face from that barely upward tilt Vergil has on his face. "...sure? I've... well, been calling you that since you made me stay here?"

"Hmph." The bare smile vanishes and Vergil continues to walk, with Dante following behind. If the dragon plans to be the host to his prisoner, that's fine. Dante wants Vergil to think he's complying. For now. But he should start memorizing a few more things prior to that, trying to make sure Vergil doesn't know what Dante is really up to.

He needs to start planning his escape route as soon as possible.


	9. Chapter 9

_Dante... Is something the matter?_

_Yeah. Mom? Are these marks on my palm supposed to glow like..._

_Oh! Oh, Dante, are you hurt?_

_I... earlier, just now, I was going to do practice with the bow and arrow. Then I stung my palm on my bow and this happened. Is something going to happen to me?_

_Nothing is going to happen to you. Oh, come here. Let me wrap that bandage around your hand. Don't do that again._

_Okay, I got it. But what is this mark supposed to do to me? You told me before it was going to protect me from something. What is it supposed to protect me from?_

_It... oh, I wonder if..._

_Mom?_

_One day, I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you what you need to know. Just promise me that you'll be fine when you do manage to be on your own._

_I... promise, Mom. Though... wait._

_Yes?_

_That sword that's wrapped up in the storage room. Can I use it to practice instead of the bow and arrow? I don't think I like archery that much._

* * *

"Hey, Vergil. I'm wondering about something." Dante asks. "You're way out here, the nearest city isn't about for a good half day's journey; and I don't know what's on the other side."

"What is your inquiry?" Vergil inquires, glancing at his twin.

Besides knowing that Dante would ask something... the knight shoves that thought away. "How-" Dante gestures to the food, including his now clean plate, "Do you get your supplies here?" He swears he hears Griffon cackle before resuming to eating his share of food.

This earns the other's amused chortle before he sets down his glass of wine. "It is simple. I have a middleman."

Dante stares at him. _Really, you hermit, are you serious?_ "So you don't go into town in person? Are you **that** shut in?"

"No." Vergil narrows his eyes. "I do make an effort to state my business with the initial transaction. The supplier only needs to see the buyer once."

 _And maybe con his way to say the real reason why he won't show his face to people._ Dante snorts. "I wonder if that's how Father used to do it before."

"And it has worked out well. Why are you asking?"

"I'm just... curious." What a contrast to how he and his Mother fared. Dante isn't sure if he hates Vergil and Sparda more because of this obvious difference in their lifestyles. Unlike his life, it seems as if Vergil lived in a somewhat interesting life of luxury and things he can afford. He turns to glance down at the untouched wine in his glass. "You're too used to this sort of life."

"Whereas you went through more, I imagine." Vergil's eyes settle on the said glass. "You're not drinking."

"Wine... is not my first choice." Dante grunts, not wanting to say he likes the beers and ciders better. Mead is the best, in his opinion. His Mother loves it and so does he. It delivers more on the flavor and reminds him so much of the brethren he fought alongside with in the army and in his adventures. Wine, on the other hand, only shows sophistication and the pretentiousness of the rich that makes Dante want to hurl the said pricks (in the past) just to throw them to the literal wolves and see how they manage. Instead of saying that, the knight mutters, "It makes me gag."

He hears a curious hum and Vergil leans in, his eyes never leaving him. "Then what do you like if this isn't your preferred choice?"

Gods, the knight can even feel Griffon staring at him with those beady eyes of his too. Curious bastards. Both of them.

Dante groans. "Here's one: I like mead. I'm not about to say what else I like, so figure it out yourself." Then he decides to drink his wine in one gulp. If it makes him buzzed, that's fine. He feels awkward in this entire situation anyway; might as well make the night a bit better for the asshole sitting across him. He heaves and tries not to grimace at the astringent notes that accompany the other fruiter notes. But _Gods_ , Dante also hates wine because this is too freaking bitter! He swears he hears a surprised laugh from Vergil, but elects to ignore it. "Oh shut up, I don't have a sophisticated taste pallet!"

"Then why'd ya drink it?" Griffon asks, sounding baffled. "If ya hate how bitter that drink is."

"Because I actually have some decency to show, and to leave a drink untouched is not a thing I'd like to do unless I suspect some moron wants to poison me." Dante wheezes, glaring at the bird. "And yes, that happened once, if you are **that** curious, chicken."

"First off, will ya knock it off with the chicken name? I ain't food! And two, I'm not surprised! Remind me to ask ya later for that tale. Knowin' your luck, I'd say you managed to save someone's life with that shit luck of yours." Griffon cackles and Dante silently swears to restart some target throwing regiment specifically aimed at the hawk. "Speakin' of, I've wanted to ask about what happened after I left."

"Well-"

"What happened in the Study remains between us." Vergil swiftly cuts in, his humor gone. "Whatever is between me and Dante serves nothing to you."

Griffon stares back at the noble with confusion. "Er. Not about that." The bird ruffles his feathers. "About Trish, Master Vergil. No offense, but uh, shouldn't ya uh, try to contact her to see how she is?"

The noble doesn't batter a blink, but his annoyance shifts back to subdued indifference. "She is capable on her own. But since you worry about her wellbeing, I will be in contact with her tomorrow." He ignores Griffon's grumblings about how he didn't miss the other. Then Vergil glances to Dante, who is also curious about the currently missing woman's state. "I have yet to find out how to deal with you first."

Dante snorts. Here it comes now; what Vergil's plans are with him after his two stays in the room he's slowly getting used to. "Great. How are you going to that? By throwing me in the basement where your dungeon lies?"

Vergil's chuckles are soft, if not strangely amused. "Amusing as how you believe that to be the case. But no, it would not be as such. I have different plans."

"Uh huh, what are those plans?"

"How to improve your swordsmanship."

"That... wait," Dante frowns. "Come again?"

"Your skills are lackluster in both sword and magic." Vergil says and Dante glares at him, feeling rather offended. "Even with your training with other mortals and those who proclaim to be masters in their arts, yours is different."

"And you believe that to be a bad thing?" The knight glares at him. "I like unpredictability; it makes me think on my feet."

"Is that so..." The noble hums, "Would the same go to your current state of magic that you have yet to tap?"

"It's called conserving my magic! And cute, you believe you can reign me in." Dante leans back in his seat, his daring smirk emerging. "C'mon, Vergil. Get real. Didn't Rebellion show you I can't be tamed in? You know how I fight." Oh, the many times many army captains attempt to control his fighting skills only ends up with them beat up and begrudgingly accept that Dante is a warrior of his own. But Dante learns with his eyes; he knows how to work things around. The same went for whoever gives him a job- with a few exceptions.

Vergil sighs, "That is true. Yet," A vicious, daunting smirk appears. "I know you far better than most. For you to say it like that tells me another story."

Dante blinks "And what's that going to be?"

Vergil's chuckle comes out dark, daring. The unusual glint is in his eyes- if not a shade darker. "It sounds like a challenge for me to tame you."

The knight chokes, his face warm. "Excuse me!? That's not-"

"Am I wrong with the way you worded it, brother mine?" Vergil asks, smoothly returning to his cool expression. "Or did I hear you wrong?"

Those words make Dante shiver... what's Vergil doing to him? A part of him is confused, lost, but Dante can feel something in him rumble with interest. "I'm not answering that, you smug, freaking-" He takes a deep breath, wanting to shift away from his discomfort. "I've been wondering about something since I came in. Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Call you what?"

Dante feels his face warm. It isn't from the alcohol; wine does not make him tipsy. "Calling me... well, you know."

"Be more specific, brother mine." Vergil says and Dante lets out a small sound to indicate the last part. ( _That- again, why!?)_ He sees the other blink, finally realizing what the knight is referring to. "By calling you as... does it make you uncomfortable?"

Dante frowns. "No. It's... even with my name, you tack that... last part in." _And yes, it does, but like hell I would say it in front of you right now!_

The knight can swear he can hear the other laugh, tinged with something soft and fond. "It is as I said earlier," Vergil stands up, the chair scraping against the floor. "My reasons for doing certain things have a deeper meaning to them. You will understand one day why I say it as such."

"And you know what I said-" Dante stops before he sighs. He got absolutely nowhere earlier. Great. "Never mind. If you're not going to tell me, then I have to find out on my own. That's what I'm getting, right? Something's ticking at your brain, Mister Pretentious. And I want to find out what really bugs you."

 _Or better yet, why is it that when I inquire about certain things, you manage to sidestep it or show a different reaction than what I thought would come out of other people. There is something else you aren't telling me, Vergil._ All of the memories that he has (so far) show only Dante as a brat, wanting more and more and Vergil begrudgingly agreeing to it because he has to be nice, he's the older twin; Dante is the one who wants to be spoiled by everyone's affections. So when the memory wipe happened to him, shouldn't Vergil be happy that Dante forgot about him and lived on his own, finding out the world doesn't bend to him and his childish ways?

"What... really annoys me." Vergil's eyes stray towards the bandaged hand before glancing back at him. Dante frowns, wanting to ask what was up before hearing footsteps walk towards him. Then he sees the other looking down at him, with his blue royal coat, black and gold vest with his cravat peeking. "Do you not already know what already bothers me, brother mine?"

Dante gulps, silently hoping for Griffon to start saying something to break the mood. But no, not a peep and he swears Griffon is looking the other way for some idiotic reason. Okay, fine, don't help him. If things are going to get a bit uncomfortable- He squeezes his eyes shut, somehow expecting some sort of harsh pinch or something else akin to it.

But no. He hears the other flatly ask, "What... are you doing?"

"I don't know, why are you up close?" Dante eeks out, eyes still shut. "It's..." Odd. In theory, he should be wanting to be closer to his twin again; they haven't seen each other for years. He was fine with the contact earlier. The touch Vergil gives him should be a familiar feeling to him. But it's always tinged with a spark Dante hasn't felt in a long time... how does it feel different than everything else? "Are you going to punch me or something?"

There's a soft huff. And then Dante feels a hand on his shoulder, making him look up to see Vergil looking at him, inspecting his face before a slight saddened, pained smile appears.

_...huh?_

"You **are** different, brother mine." Vergil softly murmurs. "Are we not close like I remembered?"

Dante stares back, pretty sure he's heard right and not from whatever spell or magic affected him earlier. He gives himself a pinch and hides his pain. Yeah, okay, not imagining this. The Vergil he grew up with wouldn't say that. The older brother he knew would much rather hide away in his room to read his books and glean knowledge than play with Dante. It shouldn't hurt, but Dante feels something hit his chest as a reminder that his twin didn't exactly have the best opinion of his younger twin growing up.

_"I want you to leave me alone. I don't have time to play swords with you."_

_"But you promised me yesterday!"_

_"I'll play with you later. Let me read, Dante. I don't have time for you right now."_

The knight feels his throat clench. "Yeah, I'm sure. If memory serves me correctly." Dante affirms back, looking down at his fist. They were tightly clenched and Dante slowly unfurls it, silently hoping to the gods Vergil doesn't notice. He feels that hand grips his shoulder tight and Dante frowns, glaring up at him. "What?"

"After breakfast tomorrow, meet me at my study." Vergil says, resuming his slight cold, professional tone. But his eyes look down at Dante's clenched fists and the knight silently groans, slowly uncurling his fingers. Then he shifts back, concern written on his face. "We start training."

"'We'?" Dante echoes in bewilderment. "Hang on. Training? Me? I don't need it!"

"I am sure with another bout, you could try to prove me wrong. But brother mine, I do recall that your techniques and skills will prove you otherwise. You got knocked out with my techniques- those which you aren't developed in." There's that draconic tint again. And Vergil looks annoyed- as usual. "You need better refinement."

"And you think you're better than the people that helped me get here."

Vergil scoffs, pride oozing out from his smirk about this. "As I am."

This bastard isn't at least bit humble! Dante wants to argue, but he's sort of expecting Vergil to calmly push back, reminding him that he's the one in charge, not Dante, and that he's the one who has leverage to hold Dante here. There really is no other way except to go along with it, isn't there?

 _There's a flipside to this._ Dante tells himself. _I can gain Vergil's trust and make sure his guard is lowered so I can find a way out. Remember, dumbass? This is why you decided to go along with this in the first place. You need to find a good escape route and getting Vergil's guard down is one of those ways to accomplish this!_ Though. _...this means I have to get along with a insufferable asshole for days- weeks, even. Gods, give me strength to keep up with this douchelord; do not let me strangle him out of pure frustration._

Dante will have to find a good way to make it up to Lady when he finally makes his way out of this place.

"Ergh. Fine." Dante sighs, resigned. What choice does he have? "If you would want to do that, then I won't stop you."

"Good." Vergil's hand doesn't let go and instead says, "Then prepare to show whatever magic spells you have learned along with your swordsmanship."

"Are you aware," Dante presents his left hand, flatly glaring at his twin. "That you're asking me to probably reopen up the wound on my palm?"

"It will not reopen." Vergil states, his hand finally leaving his shoulder. "I am certain."

Once again, he's being arrogant about his skills! _Cheeky piece of- do you really think it heals that easily? I can guarantee you it'll hurt like a bitch tomorrow morning._ Dante scoffs, silently thinking this to be a lie. He mulls for a brief second and then an idea pops in his mind. "Then how about this? If my left hand hurts tomorrow at any point while you're trying to coach me, the training's done for the day."

"And if it doesn't?" Vergil asks, eyes narrowing.

"Well, we keep going until either one of us are wiped." And Dante will not attempt to drag it out long as possible. He honestly doesn't need this mindless attempt to fight the other. He's gotten experiences and techniques Vergil doesn't. So why would this prick insist on it? It's not like his newfound, expanded well of magic will have anything to do with it. Nor his new knowledge on his half-draconic blood that again, Dante is not going to try to touch on. "And by that, it's when you want to stop fighting me since I can happily annoy you. Or, I don't know, what do you want to do if my wound heals all of the sudden?"

The noble sighs, running his hand through his hair. "Are you sure about this?"

"About what?"

"Goading me into a bet." Vergil glares down at him, his eyes slowly glowing that eerie, draconic blue. What is the deal with- never mind, Dante just wants to get this talk over with. "Or worse, a challenge as stated by you with your terms."

"It's not a bet, it's common sense." Dante pushes his chair back, standing up to face his twin with equal footing. "Are you this annoyed that I'm not budging because I should be recovering?"

"On the thought that you are already recovered, yes." Vergil crosses his arms. "But say that you are right, your hand is still injured. What are your plans going to be? And no, I will not allow you to leave this vicinity."

 _I already know that. You're the damn keeper of this place and still won't let me go to see Lady, even after I told you why._ The knight holds back on whatever irritation seeps in. Instead, Dante masks it with a casual shrug, "I know, I know. Maybe I want to explore this place more. On my own, not with the poor chicken as my guide."

"It's Griffon!" The hawk groans. "The hell did you get chicken from, anyway?"

Dante cackles, turning to face Griffon, who seems to have broken out of whatever it was doing (preening his wings, from the looks of it). "Good, you're still here. Remind me again, who got trapped in that poacher's trap?"

"YOU-!"

"Silence." Vergil commands, making Dante lightly scowl. "You can do it... **after** I see your skill set."

"So-"

"There is not going to be a bet on your state of injury, brother mine." Vergil continues and Dante feels a vein popping. "In fact, I know I am right in that my spell has worked; that your left hand is now at a state where there should be a healed scar."

...this... absolute, fucking-

"I'm afraid, if you plan to weasel your way out of our planned spar tomorrow, there will be worse consequences to experience."

Dante's eye twitches at this. Vergil didn't latch onto his bait! "And your point is?"

"I **know** you." Vergil simply says with a very infuriating smirk on his face. "Do you recall once, brother mine, how much you pestered me to play with you until I relented? And with that you never once let me read again until you were exhausted?"

"And what about that? I already learned my lesson years ago not to annoy people again. You, to be more specific." Dante really would like that memory wipe back. The second-hand embarrassment that crosses with his memories makes him cringe. "Why do you want to remind me of something you constantly hated? I think I'll do you a favor and **not** remind you how much you wanted to whack me with those swords because I stopped you from reading your favorite book for the day."

The smirk vanishes to a concerned frown, all playful teasing gone. "Dante-"

"I'll meet up for a training, but that's it." The knight turns to head back to his room, ignoring the light pain at how accurate he was. He's about to fume, but he would rather like to do that on his own. Was it out of his humiliation? Or embarrassment? Perhaps both. He doesn't care; his twin shouldn't be near him if he would like his pretty face ruined with a punch. "I'm going to walk around before I go back to my room."

He doesn't hear Vergil call out for him, even as Dante walks off towards the open doors for a post-dinner stroll. A couple of steps in, and he hears Griffon flapping his wings, landing in the window in front of him. "Want to come and see me at my misery?"

"Eh, nah. Though I'd like to hear the near-death poisoning story from ya." The hawk shifts his head. "You, uh, kinda left Master Vergil in a huffy mood."

"Whatever. I'll let him commiserate. He pushed it first." Dante grumbles, not sure how to feel about the draconic noble right now. He doesn't care how Vergil feels at the moment. "But uh, right now?"

"How about we make it a thing to talk about tomorrow?" Griffon grunts, "If ya wanna get some breathing space, I can show you into the... er, well, can't believe I'm gonna say this, but ya can always hide in Master Vergil's library."

Dante blinks. "I thought you said it was forbidden to enter in without Vergil knowing."

"Still is."

This is interesting that Griffon would offer this. Dante wonders if this is something from the bird's own mindset and not from Vergil's. "Huh. Why the kindness all of the sudden?"

"Eh, ya seem the type to run away from pushy matters; plus, ya entertained me for a good while today." Griffon cackles. "Consider it a thanks from me. Besides, I actually wanna hear more things from ya, if ya don't mind." If birds can grin, Dante can tell Griffon is giving him one.

"Heh. I'll take you up on that." The knight grins. "Just don't let Vergil know."

"My beak is sealed."

"Then, would you mind if I can tell you that poison story tomorrow morning? I'd like some company for breakfast."

Griffon squawks with delight before cackling, "Can't wait to hear what near death experience ya had for this time. For now, though, gotta make sure Master Vergil doesn't feel left out. Night, Dante!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." That doesn't stop Dante from faintly grinning before fading away. Vergil's inquiries about his past... why would he bring it up now? Along with the sword fighting and...

...ugh, not the best time to think about that. Not when Dante has his own plan to think about. He glances out of the glass windows, barely managing to see the sight of the woods that greet him. His determination deepens as he decides to take the long way back, silently wondering how to start beginning his escape.

Yet.

The fleeting feeling of how warm Vergil's hand is on his shoulders haunts his skin. Dante shivers, hugging himself to chase away the goosebumps from his skin. The touch shouldn't affect him. How Vergil talked to him shouldn't affect him.

And yet.

_"I will never harm you, Dante mine." Vergil quietly reaffirms, staring intently at him before stepping back, his hand withdrawing from tracing Dante's neck. "Not again."_

_...what are you doing to me, Vergil?_ Dante tightens his hands. _You're not supposed to be the gracious host. You should be the annoying kidnapper and I have to find a way out so I can get back to what I should be doing. But no, things don't turn out like that because you're that long-lost twin Mother never mentioned in detail about. And just my absolute best luck, you're that dragon everyone is scared of._

But Vergil isn't like a typical dragon. He is the kind that is not within Dante's expertise of dealing with creatures and monsters of sorts. Dante has dealt with one other dragon before and he made a truce with it only to spare it from a fight. Even Arkham was human and he turned into some draconic amalgamation that even Agni (rightfully) described as 'a bloody turd that spat out from Satan's asshole' (Beowulf had a far worse description that Dante refuses to repeat because it was that offensive.)

The knight finds himself back at his room and thins his lips, closing the door. _Brilliant. This is really going to suck._

He probably should splash some water on his face before sleeping. That would do him some good.

* * *

The sun is literally shining in his face when Dante opens his eyes. He swears that curtains were being pulled back, but he just groans, attempting to close his eyes.

"I know you are awake." Vergil says.

Dante groans, knowing the noble is glaring at him. "Five more minutes." He grumbles, attempting to bury his head in his pillow. "I'll wake up and find you when I do."

A frustrated huff greets him. "I highly doubt that."

Then he feels blankets yanked off and Dante yelps, feeling the cool air greet him. "The hell!? I was-"

"Your hand." Vergil states and the knight remembers their agreement.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." With a dramatic huff, Dante sits up, knowing pretty well that his hair is messed up and his nightwear wrinkled. But he presents his still bandaged left hand, pretty sure with his confidence that his hand has not healed in some way. "If it doesn't heal, Verge, I'm holding you responsible and I'll sever this one off for a mechanical one."

Vergil scoffs, glaring at him before he unwraps the bandages from his hand. The silence between them is tense as Dante feels cool hands unravel the last of the bandages. The herbal scent is faint with the lingering magic. But Dante frowns, wondering why is Vergil silent.

"So?" The knight asks, demanding to know what's the deal with the dramatics before he hears a low chuckle. Dante feels the pit of his stomach sink at the smug, prideful smirk Vergil wears, eyes narrowing to their silent glee.

_Oh no._

"I'm afraid, brother mine," Vergil ceases his laughter, but his smirk is still there with that proud tone. "That you did heal with what I have given you."

"You've got to be kidding me." Dante seethes, silently hoping the deities will be kind to him and make it so that his awful piece of shit of a twin would be wrong. He yanks his hand from Vergil's hold and looks down, at his palm, not caring if he can still smell that medicine Vergil poured on his palm. He hopes to see some remnants of that scarring red gash and that his palm will still ache.

There instead shows a healed scar; the gash is a very pale pink. Carefully, Dante closes his hand into a fist and feels no pain from it. Instead of feeling the etched patterns that make his seal, he feels smooth line made from Vergil's sword.

Dante gapes, stunned. Then he remembers what he told Vergil last night and Dante utters, "You scheming asshole."

"You could do it, given that I teach you right about your own magic." Vergil says. "Get changed. You might want to wrap your hand if you still feel uncomfortable with holding your sword with the scar on you."

Dante lets out a tick from his tongue, glaring back at his hand. He wonders if-

"If you even dare try to harm yourself just to get out of this, I will not let you." Vergil states and Dante glares up at him, wondering how the hell Vergil knew he was going to do that. "I will only keep doing this until you relent, brother mine."

"And you're just going to keep an eye on me until then, aren't you?" The knight scowls, standing up to snatch the set of clothing Vergil left for him. He can feel his draconic twin's eyes on him, even as he grabs the new roll of bandages that are next to the clothing. "You are going to regret teaching me whatever bullshit I have to do."

"Again with your perception that you believe me to be the same as those who formerly tried to tame you." Vergil snorts. "Are you this doubtful of me?"

"For this time being," Dante turns around, very much annoyed. He can feel his ears burn red from his embarrassment, humiliated that he lost a bet he was sure he thought he would win. ....and that Vergil read his mind. "Yeah."

And he shuts the bathroom door in front of the prick's face for good measure.

* * *

Vergil uncrosses his arms, kneeling down to pick up the soiled bandages before looking back up at the closed door.

He sighs, a concerned look on his face as he recalls the glare Dante gave him. It hurts to see the anger burning in Dante's eyes, but this is what he has to deal with for now. His brother... still doesn't see him as what he used to be. _This mistrust from him is... an obstacle._

The warmth doesn't leave his fingers and Vergil closes his eyes, taking a sharp, deep breath. He lowly growls, stamping down his frustrations and glares at the door. He'll take his frustrations out on their spar; if Dante doesn't want Vergil to go easy on him, fine. He'll show his younger twin the true meaning of pain.

But.

A familiar memory flashes in Vergil's eyes and it seals his conviction to help Dante control his magic. Perhaps try to hone whatever bastardized sword skills and use it for the better. And then...

 _You can't fight your own magic nor your birthright, brother mine. Nor will you fight out of our promise. And I will remind you of it._ His eyes flash with his slow, burning draconic flare that he felt when he met Dante again.

_Every. Word._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Brad Venable (voice of Griffon). May you rest in peace. 
> 
> (I spelled his last name wrong, correct me if I'm wrong...)
> 
> **EDIT Got the correct spelling.


	10. Chapter 10

It took a good thirty minutes for Dante to wash himself clean and change both clothing and bandages before making his way to the same dining area as yesterday. And like the day before, he sees his plate of food and drinks before him and his twin nowhere in sight.

Dante was going to scoff this one off when he spies something neatly written on a small sheet of paper; ink barely dried on parchment. _" **'Meet me in my study in an hour.'**_ " He blinks, staring at the neatly written note. He vaguely hears Griffon squawk out a morning call. "Hey, Griffon. Did Vergil write this?"

The hawk flaps his wings and Dante takes it as an affirmative. "Yeah, Master Vergil said somethin' about not wanting to see ya puke yer breakfast out. Why?"

Well, at least Vergil is smart enough to know **not** to go straight into training after eating right away. "Just wondering." Dante grumbles, grabbing his seat. "So, you want to know how I got a literal near-death experience at a party."

"Another party?" Griffon stares at him. "Geez, Dante, how many of these awkward social events did you attend after yer valiant service in the army?"

"Way too many for my own personal good." The knight groans. Well, what a way to remind him that he still needs to attend Lady's bullshit royal ball to make herself known to be Queen. As if the nations attempting to woo her and their kindly ~~bullshit~~ treatment weren't stressful enough. "I would rather like a simple meeting to get politics over with. Here, some treats for you."

"Thanks!" Griffon cracks a piece of bacon with glee as Dante sets it down on a napkin. "Then I take it you really hate the diplomatic route."

"It's not my style, unless I really have to get involved." The knight leans back, crossing his arms with a huff. "Even with- well, let me explain with a disclaimer that this was before I get Lady and her gang. I didn't even think dinner parties were supposed to be a thing for some diplomatic reason either..."

In the back of his mind, Dante is silently glad he has an audience willing to listen to him rant about this. But it wasn't just that distracted him.

He can feel someone staring at him. Dante knows who and decides not to bring it up at all, instead chatting away about the night someone tried to poison the king and got Dante as his near-unfortunate victim.

He'll kick Vergil later.

* * *

"Well, shit. I ain't gonna lie, Dante," Griffon warily says. "Yer luck with dealing with Death is pretty amazing."

"In terms of how close I am to dying the last couple of times?" Dante scoffs, knowing pretty well where the hawk was going with this. "A part of me wonders how I haven't shoved the mortal coil yet."

"Do ya think it could be 'cause Master Vergil kept searchin' for ya for a long time and didn't want ya to die on him?"

Dante blinks, looking at the bird before he leans back against his chair, scoffing at the thought. "Even you agree about that, huh? You do realize I wasn't even aware he was alive back then."

"Hey! I actually have a good reason for that!" Griffon flaps his wings, indignant before he groans. "So, at one point when the two of us were trying to get used to this place, I thought I heard some noises at some nights. But when I had enough and started to investigate-"

"Because you thought this place was haunted?" Dante grins. "It wouldn't surprise me if it did."

Griffon squawks in a mix of annoyance and... fear? Whoa, wait, really? "This place? **Haunted??** You're shittin' me, right? If it was, the ghost woulda been more scared of Master Vergil than of me being scared of a ghost!"

"So," Dante chuckles. This is new. He has a new one to poke at the bird on. "You're scared of ghosts."

Griffon glares at him. "No I'm not! W-What makes you think of that?"

Ah ha! The stutter of denial. Dante laughs, waving it off. "I kid about the place being haunted. Go on, what were you going to say?"

The hawk groans, "Ugh! Ya know what? I'm thinkin' I shouldn't tell ya now!"

"Oh come on, really? I was just trying to have some humor before I meet my impending doom."

"Yer impending doom? Cute. And by that, I'm guessin' you don't want to spar with Vergil?"

Ah. All humor drains away as Dante recalls... oh, right. Within the hour, right? He scowls at the note before crumpling it, throwing it at his empty plate. "I would honestly not like to. He... ugh, you know he kicked my ass when we first met." That and the aftermath is still fresh on his mind. He grips his left hand when he feels a slight dull ache from the scar.

"Yeah, Trish and I know." Griffon deadpans. "We **both** heard you whine about it while she was helpin' ya shower."

Dante huffs, standing up before gathering the dishes. "I think I'll make good use of the hour I have left then before I meet with Mister Pricky in his study." He glances to the bird. "You said something yesterday. About his library?"

"Oh, right, that area." Griffon hums, puffing his chest before humming, "Actually... I could give ya directions to how to find it instead of havin' to show ya where it is."

The knight's eye twitches. _Gee, thanks, you stupid chicken, are you telling me I have to find it on my own?_ "And why is that?"

"Well, if Master Vergil would find out I showed ya his precious book collection, he'll have my head on a silver platter! So, no, I can't show ya because I know how vengeful he is!" Griffon tilts his head, seeing Dante gather up his dishes. "Wait, what are ya doing with those?"

"I'm... being courteous and washing my dishes?" Dante warily stares back. "I thought Vergil does the work."

"Er..." The hawk fidgets. "I'm... sure? I mean, he doesn't let Trish do the work here as much as he does."

Dante was about to snark back, but the words sink in. Then he blinks, carefully, "So- he does it with his own **magic?** "

"Yeah, no shit, Shirley, ya finally get an idea of how he lives now. I mean, I don't mean to slander him behind his back," Griffon snorts, "But let's be real. Trish and I saw it ourselves, Master Vergil is **shit** at actually doing chores- cooking included!"

Dante resists the urge to drop his dishes and smack his face with his hands. This... is the complete opposite to the Vergil he knew growing up. Vergil- the twin brother he thought to be strict and obedient to his parents while Dante was the childish brat; the same kid who would much rather read his books than play with him- doesn't do his own damn chores with his own two hands?

"Are you kidding me?" Dante mutters to himself, baffled. "And here I thought... ugh, so golden child doesn't do his own responsibilities except for the ones in his study. Why would he do that?"

"Beats me." Griffon flaps his wings and Dante feels the talons on his shoulders again. Thank god for whatever this vest is made out of; the talons don't pierce to his skin. "I mean, if ya really want to try and-"

"I think I'll do this without his help." As if he needs babysitting for washing dishes. Or teaching someone how to handle the basics. That is a laugh on its own. "And for Vergil to even use magic for cleaning... what an absolute joke. If he doesn't do it, I might as well clean his mess up too." The knight groans, "Okay, Griffon. Where's the kitchen? If I need to start somewhere to do some of my load, it might as well be here."

"Uh... ya sure? I don't know if Master Vergil will be pleased to see you do some household work-"

"Griffon." Dante glares up at him, his magic threatening to flare. "Do it or I'll find a good spell to roast you with."

The hawk squawks, "ACK! Okay, okay, fine, I'll show ya where the kitchen is, sheesh!" Then Griffon mutters, "What crawled up and died in yer ass?"

"It's called common sense **and** being responsible. Just knowing that I have to do the other side of work since I found out my twin refuses to do his chores makes me shudder." Dante grumbles back, hearing a bark of laughter from the hawk. “It can’t be this bad, right?”

* * *

"I'm one-hundred percent sure yer free hour's passed." Griffon warily stares at the knight. "Uh, no offense, Dante, but you should go and meet with Master Vergil now."

Dante snorts, scrubbing away at the pot with the sponge with soapy water. "The shithead can wait. Cleaning this absolute abomination comes first."

"Uh, by mess or whatcha called it-" Griffon looks up and sees a nearly spotless kitchen. It was not like in its previous state; by that, there were a pile of dirty dishes and utensils near the counter. A series of dirty, wet rags have been accumulated, and there are some food that weren't placed back in their proper places. "-ya mean what it was before?"

Dante- being the supposed lazy one between them in the past- gets furious upon seeing the disorganized kitchen. Then he proceeds to organize the entire mess, cursing and hissing under his breath about how the hell Vergil lived like this, and how is it that he can't clean after himself. Then proceeds to mutter that there’s a good chance that Vergil can’t do the laundry on his own, do the cleaning after he 'cooks' and does his chores, yadda yadda yadda.

Griffon swears he sees a vein pop out from the knight's head at every dirty section of the kitchen he scrubs and cleans.

"Yeah, and I think if our Mother was still alive, she really would not be happy about this." Dante grumbles, dunking the clean pot in warm water before heaving in relief. He inspects the shiny pot and sets it down among the other clean dishes on the clean towels in the clean counter. "Last one done."

"Wow, I'm impressed." The bird whistles, landing down to peer at the clean utensils. "I can see my own reflection on this pan! Man, aside being a fighter, you actually do your chores?"

"Ha ha, most people in the army know better than to leave things in a mess." Dante chuckles, wiping his hands on the towel around his neck. "Well, except for the battles, but you get the idea-"

"What are you doing?"

Griffon squawks, jumping about a good few inches off from the counter. "M-Master Vergil! Uh, fancy seeing you here!"

Vergil glares at Griffon before looking around the now cleaned kitchen. Then he turns to Dante, his ire growing a bit. "Brother mine, if I recall-"

"You can't be bothered to clean a single room in your castle?" Dante flatly cuts in, unimpressed at the burning glare Vergil gives him. "Griffon told me you use your magic to do most of the chores."

"And if I did? Does it offend you?" Vergil curtly asks back. "Knowing that you took something minute over what could have been productive."

"You mean leaving these dirty dishes to fester and pile on while I get beat up by your magic swords and Yamato? Nope." Dante gathers the towel from his neck and dries his arms. "What are you sounding offended for? I actually cleaned the entire kitchen for you. Be grateful that I'm willing to help out instead of walking around aimlessly, doing nothing."

Vergil closes his eyes, taking a deep breath before growling, "Dante. Our agreement?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you whoop my ass and tell me what I'm doing wrong, I get it." Dante waves his hand, walking past his elder twin. He attempts to brush off the slow, simmering annoyance Vergil emits... sheesh, he can feel that glare through his shirt now. "Let me at least get Rebellion first." He takes another step before feeling Vergil's hand clamp on his shoulder, tight. "Ow! Okay, I get it, you're pissy at me for cleaning the kitchen!"

"Not that. I grow rather tired of you delaying this." Vergil takes out Rebellion and throws it at Dante, who scrambles to catch it. Then he sees Yamato appear and Dante gapes at him. "Outside. Now."

"How did you- Rebellion doesn't-"

"Do I have to repeat what I say about our swords being intertwined?" Vergil sounds vexed. "And no, brother mine, don't bother changing your clothing. We're going to the back where we can spar. Regardless of wear, it will still get ruined."

"Now?" Dante witheringly mutters back, feeling the silent, draconic vibe Vergil gives off. Though he can't do anything except to go along with it... He groans, looking up at Griffon. "I'll. Well, I'll ask you later." Then he follows the noble, silently dreading what is going to happen soon.

"All right... welp, call for me after you get your ass whooped! Ya know where do find me!" Griffon calls out.

Dante's eyes twitch. As if that bears repeating in his mind. But also- "No, I don't you freaking **chicken!** "

"Chicken!? Excuse me, Mister-I'm-A-Lowly-Knight, I'm a very prestigious bird of my class-"

"Enough!" The icy, draconic anger pierces through and Griffon squawks, flapping away in fears of not wanting to be a part of Vergil's wrath. Then Vergil's glowing blue eyes glare at Dante, who just stiffens at the snarling anger. "My patience wears thin, brother mine. Do you want to make things worse on yourself?"

"Just to get you to shut up? Maybe." Dante dryly mutters. Vergil doesn't scare him. A very pissed off dragon doesn't scare him at all. "You don't scare me at the least."

"Is that so..." Vergil's lips twitch to a cruel, malicious smirk- one that makes Dante still, feeling shivers down his spine. "Are you certain about that?"

Dante glares back, shoving the feelings of excitement and amusement at how this dragon can train him in favor of his irritation. He takes a breath and growls, "If I land one hit, you leave me along for the rest of the day."

(In hindsight, he really shouldn't have said that.)

"I'll accept that condition." Was it just Dante, or did Vergil's eyes darken a bit? "But if you don't, we continue.

The knight scoffs, silently already forming a plan on how to beat Vergil. If he can take him out from the back... maybe, just maybe he can knock Vergil out. A hit to the back of his neck should do the trick. "Fine. Let's go. Outside, then?"

"Yes."

* * *

Dante should know much better than to goad someone who has more than enough pride (an ego, if he has to be honest) to take him down. Especially if that certain someone- now that Dante finally knows- how swift and ridiculously unpredictable Vergil really is, and-

"Argh! Shit!" Dante curses to himself, landing on the ground for the sixth, no wait, make it the seventh time. He groans, wanting to relax his screaming body to relax, but he opens his eyes and rolls over just in time to dodge Yamato. "The fuck, Vergil! Are you sure you aren't using me as a killing dummy?"

"I'm sure." Vergil witheringly responds, yanking Yamato off before gesturing to Dante's current state. "Your forms, brother mine, are rigid. You can barely dodge most of my attacks, leaving you vulnerable to my other attacks. When you think you have dealt me with one, I always come back with another you are not prepared to deal with."

Dante's eye twitches but stays silent.

"There is an additional problem I noticed about your fighting." Vergil continues, walking to where Dante lies. "After a certain time, your attacks grow predictable. I can tell what movements you are about to make if you hold your sword a certain way." He kneels. "Even your enemies will know your moves when they grow familiar to your forms."

"What's your point, Vergil?"

"I believe I know where to begin your training." Vergil extends his hand, concern on his face. "Come. Let me get you to a place for you to rest."

Dante shifts, moving a bit to see Vergil's hand. He lifts himself up, not taking the other's hand again. "Just start showing me lesson one if you're this persistent. Or take me on again. I'm not exhausted yet." Or so he tells himself. He hasn't fought in about a few days, and his body is now getting back in form. Dante will feel all of the injuries on him tomorrow morning when he wakes up; it's just a matter of getting used to the groove.

Even it involves putting up with this persistent asshole twin of his.

Vergil sighs, lowering his hand before standing up. There is some worry on his face, but Dante doesn't think it's for his sake. "Are you sure?"

"Let's get it over with." Dante scowls, feeling Rebellion thrum in his hands again. A part of him wants to watch what Vergil's movements are and how he handles Yamato. He's not going to admit that his twin has some advantages to him that Dante doesn't have. He readies his typical stance, preparing for yet another spar. "Tell me which ones you know and I'll- I don't know- change it up and see if you like it. How does that sound?"

Vergil scoffs, withdrawing Yamato from its scabbard. "If this is your way of telling me you will accept this as a last attempt for the day to land a hit on me, then fine. But know starting tomorrow, I will teach you."

"Yeah, yeah, got it, Sir Vergil." Dante mutters, gripping Rebellion's handle. "Right, like he'll do that."

* * *

One smackdown later, and Dante finds his face on the ground, body aching and bruised from all of the attacks. (And he thought training with Beowulf and Ifrit was bad.) He grunts, straining to get up, but then he feels himself being pulled up. "Ow! My arm-"

"You will rest." Vergil firmly says before taking one good look at Dante's state. Then he narrows his eyes with a low hiss and then, "We start with your forms tomorrow."

Dante grunts, nodding slowly. Fuck. Getting his ass kicked was not part of his agenda for today. He **is** out of practice. How long has it been since he last fought anything? Aside the recent days, where Vergil kicked his ass.

"And tomorrow," Vergil continues, gripping his hand on Dante's shirt. "You will show me what magic skills you have-"

"I know about three spells, idiot." Dante mumbles, closing his eyes. He feels exhausted from all of the physical endurance and energy he burned through. "One for making fire, one to light a place, and one for myself. I don't use it often."

"It is only limited due to your previous magic pool; I suspect there are those who try to teach you more spells, only to have them fail." The noble pauses, his grip tightening a tad bit. "A spell for yourself?"

"Yeah, it's called having a disguise." Dante grumbles, slowly opening his eyes to see Vergil looking a bit livid. "What? It's something to make sure I don't stand out among others." His twin stares at him for a moment before he lets go of Dante's shirt. Dante feels himself stumble a bit, but then feels an arm wrap around his shoulder, supporting him. "I'm not helpless, Vergil. I can make it back on my own."

Vergil softly scoffs, shifting his hold to support Dante better as they walk back. "Yet your current state says otherwise. I suppose you just need someone to help you to your room?"

Dante was about to say fuck no, he'll deal with it, but Dante mumbles, "...just don't drop me to the floor. You can unattach Rebellion from my belt when we get back because I just might collapse to the bed and stay there."

"As if. You will also eat just so you do not starve yourself." There's a pause. "Do you need my help to wash?"

"To- okay, no, I can bathe myself." Dante flushes a bit. The thought of showing himself naked in front of Vergil, for some reason, is embarrassing. It isn't just because the other might point out what could be wrong with his own body (there's a lot of scars Dante has from war and other fights). "You don't have to help me do that."

He swears he hears Vergil huff. "If you say so, brother mine. But if you need my assistance, just ask and I will help."

The knight doesn't have a comeback; instead, he feels his face heat up a bit at the last bit. Vergil is being sincere; there's no snide tint or mocking tone to this. But then again, it could be from the fighting and Dante is still feeling wiped. Dante closes his eyes and gently places his head against Vergil's shoulder as they continue walking towards his room. "...Thanks. I will."

(He doesn't see Vergil look at him with genuine surprise before a thin, relieved smile appears on his lips. The grip on his younger twin's body tightens, silently reminding himself not to do anything rash or stupid to ruin this.

Not yet.)

* * *

Dinner, at least, was a quiet affair. The air from the previous night is still there, but this time, Vergil doesn't ask anything. In fact, it was the two eating in silence, Dante being more careful than usual. Griffon, of course, is munching on whatever roasted chicken carcass Vergil gave him.

For once, the silence-

"Your hands."

- **was** welcoming until Dante looks up to see Vergil staring at him. "What?"

"I thought they have healed." Vergil says, gesturing towards his left hand. Then he sees the bandaged right and Vergil looks up at him, wanting an answer immediately. "Dante, what did-"

"I wrapped them both in bandages and I did this before. No, I didn't cut myself on something." Dante finishes, wanting to end all subject on the state of his hands. Good God. He has some gloves in his pack to reinforce the bandages and their hold. "Don't freak out, they're still fine."

Vergil frowns. "Was it in part of that seal?"

"For not wanting people to ask? That's part of it." Dante looks at the back of his hands. "Another reason I had was to protect the seal from coming into contact with any sharp blade, which... look how that went." A wry smile appears as Dante sets down his fork and knife, looking at his left hand now. "But you know, the real reason for it is stupid. I just wanted my hands to be fine and not develop callouses from holding every weapon I can get my hands on. Rebellion included."

The other man in the room is still silent before some form of relieved sigh escapes him. Then Vergil states, "The reason is, strangely not ridiculous. But I take it you desire some other protection on your hands than bandages."

"Don't bother giving me gauntlets. I got gloves of my own." Albeit frayed and about to fall apart. Dante waves the idea off. "The bandages, I can do more of, if you can tell me where to find them."

"There is a supply room in the first floor, near the Hall." Vergil's eyes are still on Dante's hands before shifting back up. "If you are going to look for them in the future."

"I was thinking more of tonight, since I would like to have some on hand in case something does happen again." _And to look for any open windows or more hidden doors, something with latches, preferably._ But Dante doesn't say that. "If that's okay with you since..."

"Since?" Vergil asks, arching an eyebrow.

"...since after you helped me to my room and I washed, my body wasn't screaming in pain." Dante finishes, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. "Nor did I feel like I wanted to go sleep the rest of the day away."

The noble is silent before he softly chuckles. “I take it that you finally discovered one of our unique abilities.”

“Unique… abilities?”

"It is in thanks of our draconic blood."

Dante blinks, feeling a bit surprised. “That sounds like a cop-out.”

"If you think of it as such. But I think of it like an useful asset. As half-bloods, there are some aspects we keep in our human blood; our appearances maintain their human nature. As for our draconic side, it isn't just a wider magic pool. We recover faster, heal in a different rate than normal humans." Vergil says. "There are other points that differentiate us from both sides. But I suppose you would like to take it in separate moments."

Dante blinks before he sits back, taking it into mind. "Yeah... you explaining all of my newer abilities in smaller bits sounds better instead of having it all shoved in my face. So, when it comes to fighting at this point on, my body-"

"Will not be harmed as the result of the physical endurance of our bouts." Vergil finishes, daring Dante to say to contradict it.

But no. The knight is left surprised. This is a new development. An uptick in energy? Perhaps the same goes with his magic. "…Well. Huh." Dante mumbles. "The same for... wait, what about your cut on my hand?” He lifts his left hand up, “I looked at it and it’s not healing like the other ones.”

Vergil pauses, a perplexed look on his face. “Interesting. Does it not heal like the one on your chest?”

“That one’s a war wound. It came before you woke up my dragon blood.” Dante’s face falls. “So you have no idea, then?”

“My apologizes.”

“That’s fine, I’ll try to find out how to expedite the healing. And based on what you told me about my inhuman recovery,” Dante hums, “I'm going to guess that you're not letting me have time to myself until I improve from your training from hell."

"That depends." Vergil picks up his utensils to resume eating. "I am not so cruel to hover over you every day; I also have my own businesses that I take care of should the need call for it."

Dante narrows his eyes. "Even still-"

"You still are a priority for me, so don't you think you can talk yourself out of this." Vergil interrupts him. "Our training will not stop, brother mine."

"...I wasn’t going to ask about that." Of course, Dante had a feeling Vergil would say that. "I wanted to ask if it's okay if I take an hour's break to... walk around the place, seeing the sights." If not without revealing his motives, but he isn't about to tell Vergil this. He can Griffon glance at him and Dante knows he'll wrangle out the directions to Vergil's precious library tomorrow. Maybe that has something this noble won't tell him. "It's also a time for you to- I don't know, set your affairs before you get to kicking my ass again."

Vergil narrows his eyes. Then he grunts, "Let me think about it. I will let you know first thing in the morning."

Dante can't help but grin in relief. "I appreciate it. We both have our own affairs to worry about; I’d rather like it if you don’t come at me stressed and murderous."

There's a flash of pink on the other's face, but Dante swears the lighting is playing tricks on him. He'll have to do some changes to the kitchen too just to get a better light. "I… hm." The noble glances back up at him before placing his utensils on his empty plate. Then with a flat tone, "Does this said affair include cleaning up the kitchen and washing the dishes?"

That makes Dante scowl, recalling the scene earlier. "Well, now it does! Thank you for reminding me about that. So what the hell, Vergil? Didn't anyone- Father included- tell you to do your chores first before doing anything else? At this point, I'm really wondering what other things you actually don't do around here!"

Or if his now deadbeat Father is just as lazy as Vergil really is.

"It is as I said, I only let my magic to the work it needs to." Vergil narrows his eyes. "Unless you say otherwise?"

"Yeah! Right now, I'm going to clean these damn dishes." Dante groans, grabbing his now empty plate and utensils. This idiot is another level of laziness! His own twin! This still annoys him. "Try to stop me." He gets up, walks towards the kitchen when he feels Vergil's hand on his arm. Then he feels a heavier weight and Dante looks down to see his twin's own dirty dishes atop of his.

"Don't drop them." The noble drawls.

Dante's eye twitches and storms off, huffing, "Now I really want to go back and see if you actually dusted everything in the rooms now. Let alone doing any laundry… are you coming, Griffon? I might need your help again!”

The hawk groans, dropping the few remnants of its dinner on a nearby plate Dante scoops to pick up. “The… oh come on, the cleaning crap again? I am **not** the Head Servant of this place!”

“Are you sure about that? You seem to know where everything is, chicken.”

“STOP IT WITH THE CHICKEN!”

That did not stop the pensive look Vergil wears on his face, eyeing Dante's hands with a thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this little headcanon- albeit benign- that Vergil, despite his immaculate looks, is absolutely lazy and will take shortcuts to circumvent a lot of chores. Cleaning and cooking included (I have a separate one about that, btw). But when Dante's involved, he has to do actual work and make it seem like he's putting more effort ~~just to impress Dante, I bet~~ than his brother. Whereas Dante actually has learnt to be responsible; it's his motivation to do anything is super low.
> 
> The fighting does seem to calm Vergil down.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the long delay is because of work (long story short: a coworker quit. Things got... interesting.)
> 
> For those of you very curious about their ages, I'm going to say that Dante and Vergil are 25 (3 yrs younger than DMC, I know) and not at their hormonal 19-21(ish) age as we saw in DMC 3.  
> So imagine Vergil and Dante at 25 and Dante is slowly becoming the guy we're seeing in the first game. Maybe. I'm snatching his snarkier elements at 4 for him because he needs it. Vergil, on the other hand, is still his usual self.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy and apologizes for the wait!

_Dante! You have a cut on your face- what happened?_

_It's the same shit as always. My hair and eyes. My name. Why are people looking at me like I'm a freak?_

_Oh. Oh I'm... I'm so sorry._

_Why are you apologizing? It clearly came from that deadbeat Father I never get to see! And my brother- gods, I bet he doesn't give a shit about his younger brother._

_Dante! Don't say that. You might not know if they one day return and hear you say that._

_They're not coming back, Mother! I don't know who they are and why they decided to leave us, but they're horrible. They clearly didn't care about you and the same goes for me._

_Dante..._

_Mother, I know you keep saying I have an older twin and a Father that would be proud of me. But I don't know them, and as far as I know, they don't exist! So why should I care!? I'm the only kid who looks like this and I get kicked around for it! I don't want to look for them, whoever they are. They can just disappear and not come back! I just... I just want someone to not... why don't I have anyone to talk to or... or... I just want friends._

_Sweetie. Look at me. I am proud of who you are. And one day, you will. People will overlook your looks._

_But it attracts attention to you. Do you know what people say about you in this crap city?_

_I am aware of what the rumors are, what they say about us. And no, I will not warm any men's beds. I am more than capable on my own since I have you._

_Good. Because the more they talk, I just... ugh. What else can I do to make everything easier? You told me not to use my sword around others. And I know you warned me against using a spell._

_About that, Dante. I might have one that can help us._

_...wait. You do? Why didn't you say it sooner?_

_It was a last resort. But recent dealings have made me reconsider. For your safety too._

_Our... safety?_

_One day, Dante. One day, you'll understand why I do this._

* * *

A parry. Counter that with another attack, turn. Another shift and another block.

Only this time, he feels a slight jab and Dante misses his chance to block Vergil's hand before rolling on the ground. Rebellion scatters about a few feet away, but Dante quickly scrambles up, grabbing the sword and regaining his pose. "Missed that one."

"You've improved with your counters. Your poses are still on a path to improvement, yet I feel as if you can leave a few of them out." Vergil lowers Yamato with a faint smirk. "I should be impressed, but you missed the chance to block my punch."

"Yeah, well, I thought physical fighting was off the list in my training." Dante huffs, noting that Vergil isn't in another pose. He relaxes his stance, feeling some of the sun's rays burn his skin. "Ugh. How much time's passed?"

"About four hours." Vergil states, looking at the state of the training grounds. "If you are wondering about the day, it has been three days since we began this."

"I definitely didn't need to know about the amount of days it took just to kick me back to shape." Dante mutters, brushing his hair back with his gloved hands. He can feel his palms sweat beneath the bandages and the tattering fingerless gloves. As much as he wants to admit he is getting a workout, the urge to kick Vergil's ass grows. "Especially since you beat me every single time I want to try and land one hit on you."

"The day that will happen is the day I see one of your supposed forms mastered." Vergil raises Yamato again and Dante raises Rebellion for yet another fight. "Which, may I point out, are still predictable."

"To you? Oh Gods, nothing about me impresses you." Dante snarks back. "Not even my improving skills in doing the chores in the very place you live in?"

That too is a struggle to keep up. Atop of training for about eight hours (or more, since Vergil is this hellbent on fighting Dante for some good reason), Dante has to do most of the cleaning for the dishes and clothing. Yes, even the folding. The washing and rinsing Dante would understand, but Gods. He has never seen sloppiness to folding clean clothing at its peak. Vergil constantly proves his point about how lazy he is.

"Not even that." Vergil responds, "Since I deem it as-"

"A waste of valuable time, when you can train me and blah blah, I get your drivel."

The noble stills before Dante stills, seeing a smirk appear on Vergil's face. "How amusing for you to mock me, brother mine."

 _Oh hell._ Dante slightly pales, silently tacking a mental note to never mock his twin.

It seems as if Vergil saw that and his smirk fades to an exasperated one. "You are aware I take it as a compliment for you to know what I would say right about now."

"Yeah, well, it still screams trouble for me when you say it like that." Dante gruffs. "And ha, I just got too used to hearing you say that, what else am I supposed to do?"

Vergil pauses before lowering Yamato, lazing his stance. "You do realize that once before, you would always complete my sentences in an effort to show how smart you were."

Dante pauses-

_"Mother, I would like to ask-"_

_"'If I can go my room and read the book Father gave me, will you please tell Dante not to bother me.'"_

_"...yeah. That."_

_"Oh, Vergil. At least let Dante read one of your books."_

_"He's going to write in them again!"_

_"Mooom, I'm not going to, I promise!"_

-and he groans. "And that would get me in some form of trouble because I was being a complete smart-ass." Dante warily asks, "Just out of curiosity. Did I really write my name all over your books at some point?"

"You did, at times. Why?"

"Because I remembered I would do that for pissing you off, getting you to play with me." Dante wearily chuckles, lowering Rebellion in favor to scratch the back of his head. "Gods, was I exhausting. I really didn't think how expensive books and inks were either until-"

"Dante."

The way Vergil's voice shifts catch Dante's attention. "Hm? What?" He sees the stunned look his twin has on his face, as if he was not expecting that. "Uh, Vergil? Sorry if I brought up any-"

"You did in fact, write your name all over the books Father bought for me." Vergil approaches Dante, but he looks surprised. "Back then, yes, I was furious. But now..."

"Now?" Dante echoes, confused. "Vergil? Don't tell me you're excited that I remembered something that really pissed you off and made me the bratty kid."

"I... heh. You are correct." A smirk appears, yet Vergil sounds relieved. Dante gapes at him, shocked. "Perhaps not at a memory such as this, but you remembering that makes me delighted."

"Gods, it sounds like you want me to be that annoying brat again." _Before Father slapped on a seal for my memories and power._ Dante scathingly reminds himself but keeps it silent. "What if I told you that bratty kid's not coming back?"

"I am aware the Dante I know as a child grew up as a different person." Vergil responds, his relief fading. "And talking about our past made me understand you don't want to tread on those as often as I did."

Dante sighs, hands on his hips. He glances towards the garden in an effort to avoid Vergil's stare. "Yeah, no shit."

"Yet this doesn't stop me from asking you if you still remember, brother mine." Vergil firmly states and Dante faces him, surprised, and confused. "I know you to be different than the Dante I knew as a child. I do have my reasons."

"And?" The knight asks. "What's your motive for that?"

Vergil sighs, "Are you suspicious that I would do something to hurt you again?"

"People have done worse when I open up to them." The day their Mother died returns and Dante deeply breathes, shaking those thoughts away, looking at his twin. "And I have a Father I have no idea about except from what Mother and you told me. At least tell me why you would want to pry into my mind and share notes."

Vergil frowns, then closes his eyes before opening them, as if he was in a silent debate with himself. "That reason, brother mine, is... more selfish than you can think."

"Try me." Dante crosses his arms. This is interesting. "What's the almighty, noble dragon hiding?"

The mentioning of the first two words makes Vergil groan, pinching the bridge of his nose, muttering something before facing him. "Let me say this first. It is not what you think. It is not for the thirst of knowledge or gaining power. Nor is it stealing your magic or your sword. I have gotten all that I wanted. I'm-"

"Master Vergil!" A familiar squawk cries out.

The noble stiffens before he groans and Dante's chuckle comes out weary. Right when he gets to the core of what makes Vergil tick, too. "What, Griffon? Dante and I are rather busy-"

"That's, uh, great, and all, but Trish is callin' for ya." Griffon flaps his winds. "Says she gotta big update that ya should know about."

 _Oh?_ This interests Dante. _So after a few days of crickets, Trish finally calls? What about?_

"I see." Vergil's voice returns to its business-like state. He silently flips Yamato and effortlessly sheathes his sword away. Then he looks to Dante. "I believe this is the time for you to take a break. Weren't you about to ask me about it?"

"Before we had our chat? I was." Dante warily nods. "I… let me guess. It’s an hour long."

"Make it two. I am afraid I will be busy and this call is important." Vergil pauses before glancing to Griffon. "Keep Dante company. This is a matter I believe you not to pry in." And with another step and something akin to a magic spell, Vergil vanishes away to where Dante presumes to be his study to conduct his businesses.

...right. Just when things were getting good, too.

He feels talons on his shoulder and Griffon looks back at him. "So, Sir Knight, how's the trainin' from hell?"

"Aptly put." Dante dryly responds before sheathing back Rebellion. "I'm getting a bit better, according to Sir Demon Teacher. But in terms of techniques, he claims I'm not mixing up my strategies. I am, thank you very much!" He scowls, crossing his arms. "At least my handle on Rebellion is getting better." He refuses to say Vergil's method of holding any sword works.

"Ah, right. Won't tell a soul yer actually improving." Griffon cackles. "And yer magic?"

"Don't ask." Dante huffs. That's probably coming up, knowing that it makes up the second half of their training. Or Vergil's time to make Dante a magic sword pin cushion. "But on the plus side, I do have more power in me to cast better spells." He snaps his fingers and Griffon glances over, seeing three red gems surrounding him before they fade away. "I can make them like this. It's just the matter of... well, trying to command these things."

"They, uh," Griffon winces, "look nothing like Master Vergil's swords."

"Magical glowing swords are too obvious. Something small and tiny can hide much better when hitting their target."

"Ah yeah? Where'd ya learn that?"

Dante pauses before he smiles. "So... you **like** hearing my stories, then."

"Only because I'm interested." The hawk bristles his chest. "And I'm bored! Four hours of waitin' drives me insane!"

"Heh. Sure." Dante grins, gesturing for the bird to get off his shoulder. "Say that I can happily tell you where I met my foster Grandma. I got a favor to ask of you."

Griffon perches at the fences, staring back at him. "Oh yeah? Is it somethin' that might get me in trouble?"

"No, I'll just blame myself and let you be the innocent bystander who doesn't get hurt." The knight glances up at him. "Win win for you; you tell me something Vergil won't find out, I'll keep my source silent."

"What's in it for me?"

"More bacon. I like the sausages better for some reason. Even though Vergil keeps giving it to me for some reason." Griffon fidgets and Dante grins. Score. "Well?"

"Errgh, fine! Just keep me outta Vergil's wrath and you got yerself a deal." Griffon groans, hanging his head. "So whatchya want to know? What Trish called Master Vergil for?"

"As tempting as that is, no." Dante decides to let Vergil tell him later- since it shouldn't concern him in the first place. "I want to know the location of Vergil's mysterious library."

Griffon stares at him before he warily asks, "Aaaaand why would you want to know about that?"

"Because you offered it a few days ago and never mentioned it to me?" That, Dante knows, is true. What he won't say is that he is also trying to find a useful book on spells; those that Vergil might not know about. And if there is also a book on more artifacts that he can read about just to ease his boredom.

But most importantly, does this place have a backdoor for Dante to easily slip away?

(This castle does have latched windows, but better for letting the outside air in. If Dante was younger and spry at nineteen, he could have easily slipped through these windows with ease. But at his current age of twenty-five? With his bag and Rebellion? Fuck no. He knows better than jumping down this castle and catching Vergil's attention with him screaming from two broken legs.)

Griffon gawks before he groans, "Riight, I **did** say that! Thanks for remindin' me, Dante. God, with the things happenin' around here, my mind gets scattered and focuses on other things."

"Are you sure you're just a talking bird and not something else?" Dante asks himself, his interest slowly turning to Griffon. _He did say Vergil saved his and Trish's life before..._ He clears his throat, catching Griffon's attention. "So, birdie. Where's Vergil's library at? I know it's just the directions and I have to find it for myself..."

A better excuse than someone blabbing to him.

"Right! So," Griffon lands on Dante's shoulder again to a more manageable level. "Here's how ya get there without Master Vergil's detection..."

* * *

_Past the Grand Hall on the first floor, go to the left set of doors. Walk past the courtyard and head towards the second door to the right to yet another storage room. In that said room, there is a large gold and purple tapestry with the figure of a dragon. There is a door that will lead to a narrow hallway- and that hallway will lead to a dead end._

Dante stops in his steps before he huffs. "Dead end's right here, you dumbass chicken." Using the light illuminating from his necklace as his only light source, Dante brushes off some of the obvious dust (well, shit, he needs to clean up more rooms because his nose itches) that litter his shirt and vest before placing his hand on the said dead end. "Now... what am I supposed to look for here? He said there's some sort of fake brick to press on here that looks different than the others." He brushes his hand through the brick wall, feeling cold stone before feeling something... warm.

Warm?

Dante lowers his gaze to illuminate where his hand is. Squinting, he takes a closer look to see the stone easily, smoothly sliding in.

"Ah ha." He grins, carefully pressing on the said stone before leaning towards it, letting himself into warm air. "Gotcha."

One more push and his boots meet smooth flooring. And Dante looks up to see various bookcases, columns of books covering most parts of the wall. There are some gapes for windows, fireplaces, and staircases to lead up the library's second level. There are chandeliers for lighting, tables, chairs, and sofas for reading.

Dante takes a sweeping look and cracks a grin. Griffon is right; this must be Vergil's treasure. This must have been a fortune for his twin to amass. He looks over to see if anyone is there before he turns to shut the hidden door in order not to make it so he used the secret way in. Once he confirms the door is sealed and there are no traces of dust anywhere, Dante strides over to the first bookcase he sees, trying to scan the spines of the books for a certain title. He frowns, not getting his luck before walking over to the next set.

About his fourth (or fifth?) bookshelf in, Dante sees two sets of doors; one on his left, the other to his north. Curious, he walks towards the one on the north and carefully opens it to reveal a messy array of scrolls and papers strewn about.

"Come on. Really?" Dante huffs, staring at yet another mess. "What the crap, Vergil. You can't just leave your messes here without someone noticing it."

Though one scroll catches his eye. It has a dark handle something shiny bordering it. He takes it and hides it beneath his vest. He'll return it tomorrow after he gets a good read of it. Something about it intrigues him... _I hope you don't mind me reading one of your items, Vergil._

It's not like Vergil will notice something missing from that mess he just saw.

Then he turns his attention towards the other door. He walks up to it, reaching for the door handle.

"Dante!"

Dante could have jumped a good ten feet up, but he turns, about to punch his intruder and he sees Griffon flapping his wings. "Holy **shit** , Griffon! What the hell, you scared me!"

"Well, congrats, ya managed to get in here without gettin' caught." Griffon sneers. "Though ya were about to smack poor ol' me!"

"Oh shut up, I was too concentrated." Dante scowls, calming himself. Thank Gods it was the chatty hawk and not his twin. "Is Vergil done?"

"Nuh uh. I don't know what those two are talkin' about, but he's still busy in his study, talkin' to Trish." Griffon flies over to perch at one of the second floor ledges. "Oh yeah, ya might not wanna go through that door... Master Vergil has it kept shut since it leads outside."

Dante perks up. So... there **is** a way out. Well, well. "Really?" He instead asks, feigning relief over the possibility of another exit for curiosity. "Does he use it?"

"Considering that it's the longer way out to the garden, nah. He thinks it's a pain in the ass to read outside, out of all things." Griffon fluffs his feathers. "Says he's got a reason for everything."

"He might not want his books all dirtied up." Dante snorts. He sees a memory of Vergil reading outside before Dante came up, dirtied and giggling to ask Vergil if he can play. But a cold glare and a dirtied handprint on one of Vergil's books later, Dante was left disappointed and decides to go see what their Mother was up to. "I get it though. Books are expensive as hell these days."

"Well... that's one of them." Griffon glances down at him. "But he says something's missing."

"Like a shield for the rain or something?"

"No. It was an odd thing for him to say, and I coulda thought I heard him wrong." Griffon glances towards the window. "But Master Vergil says he wanted someone to come back and pester him to play with him. Says that he regretted choosin' books over that person as a kid."

That makes Dante pause. He can feel something small pierce at his heart upon hearing this. _He... said that? No way. The Vergil I knew doesn't like it when I ask him to play. He would say he would much later, but he would constantly make excuses when the day ends._ He looks over at the library. _He has so much time to read now. Back then, he would have loved for some time alone._

But why is it different now?

Dante pretends to ignore the same pain that shoots through his left palm where the scar is. Instead, he clears his throat and asks, "Say, Griffon. Do you think you can help me before Vergil finds out we're both in his precious book vault?"

"Er, with what?" Griffon tentatively asks.

"I need your help to find two books." Dante lifts up two fingers. "And I'll tell you more stories. Deal?"

"That depends, what kinda of books are they?" The hawk turns his head. "Oh, though I do wanna hear about how ya still came up with forming red pebbles instead of Vergil's swords."

Well, great. Talking about Master Nell is going to be fun. Especially since he needs to get back in touch with her after a long time. "I'm fine with that."

Griffon cackles with glee. "All right! More tales for me to pick at you for! So, Dante, what can I help ya find in this massive book bank? We have all kinds of books from fairy tales to the bloody ghastly and from the intriguing tales from the Other World to the boring as fuck history books. Choose yer poison, pal, 'cause I ain't gonna repeat that stupid thing again."

Dante laughs, not caring if his amusement echoes through the vast library. Gods, he would probably have enjoyed Griffon around as the chatty pet mascot back then. "You're going to find this interesting, but none of that. You see, Good sir, my interests lay in the arcane and in armory- to be more specific, I need your help to find a book about spells and a book about enchanted armor."

Griffon makes an odd noise akin to strangled thought. Then he crows, "Ah, right! It's up where I am, so ya gotta catch up!"

"It's- wait." Dante blinks, his grin fading when he sees Griffon fly into the second floor. "Up there!? Are you kidding me?"

"If ya wanna get enough time to run over to yer room to drop these off before Master Vergil finds out you went missing-"

That is enough for Dante to find the nearest staircase and dash up to follow Griffon, silently cursing him out in the process for making him sprint. His legs are going to ache soon…

* * *

"You're about five minutes late." Vergil states, foot tapping on the courtyard grounds.

"Fuck off." Dante groans, itching to present the middle finger to his twin. He can hear Griffon wheeze and regain his breath. "I was wandering all over this place before I remembered I had to get back here for the other half of our training." Dante looks up when he hears the other start to laugh. "Shut up! How about you come in late and see how you feel when you see me nagging at you for being late!?"

"If it happens, which I highly doubt." Vergil eases his laughter as Dante straightens himself up. "But in fairness, I apologize."

"Nah, it's fine, I get used to it." Dante waves it off. "So, magic time. What's the first thing this time?" He hears a very familiar snap and five blue, ethereal ice swords emerge, surrounding Vergil's figure. "Oh _hell_. Let me guess, I start from a distance and make my way towards you again."

"Correct. If any of them hit you, we are back to the beginning." Vergil says. "I will monitor your progress, brother mine. See how well your magic fare against mine like this."

"And?"

"No other spells can be used. You can, however, use Rebellion to strike me as you wish." Vergil indicates to Yamato at his side. "I will use Yamato in return. If you miss, we start over."

Ugh. Dante knows he's in for a long haul now.

* * *

About seven rounds and many slashes through his shirt with one frost burn Dante quickly gets over with his own magic, round eight was starting to get a little better.

One floating sword darts and Dante manages to dodge it. The second and third try to hit him at the same time, but with his red gems hitting the swords to negate their attack, Dante manages to get closer. He pulls down his tattering gloves with his teeth, silently cursing how worn out they are before sensing the fourth sword hurling towards him.

"Shit." Dante curses, barely darting out of the sword's way. He has one fire ruby gem left and Vergil has one ice sword left. He is a couple of feet away for... whatever this training bit is and Dante isn't about to let this one reset and start over. He's landed on his back way too many times today and a part of him wants to see how the prissy brat likes it when he gets to be on the end of being hit. Is it payback? Pretty much.

(But the last laugh will come when Dante feels like he's ready to leave this place.)

The two stand still, waiting to see who strikes first when Dante takes a step forward. It was enough for Vergil to command his last ethereal sword, directing it at Dante's way. But with a nudge and allowing his last ruby gem to negate the sword, shattering it to its ice magic, Dante sprints towards him, not drawing out Rebellion. He sees Vergil draw out Yamato, about to strike, but Dante is faster.

He lunges before lowering to deliver a sweeping kick, knocking Vergil's balance. He hears the other land on the ground, attempting to stand back up, but Dante is faster. Regaining some energy, he manages to conjure two more red ethereal gems and pins Vergil's wrists, drawing up his narrower, hidden dagger and places it at Vergil's throat. He straddles himself at Vergil's waist to prevent the other from or doing anything impulsive, pushing most of his weight just so Vergil doesn't move.

"Gotcha." Dante growls, his eyes honing in on his target. "After so many attempts to land a hit on you."

There's a second and then Vergil looks up at him, his smile amused as his eyes narrow. Vergil's body feels really warm beneath him, but Dante isn't focused on that. "Are you satisfied now?"

"Hell **yes.** " Dante seethes. He could drive the narrow dagger to Vergil's throat and that would be the end of it. But no, a part of him wants to gloat about this. He worked hard to get this far. "Normally I would ask if you have any parting words, your last words before I decide to either give you mercy or end your life."

Vergil hums, barely shifting and Dante can feel those hands curl to meet his gloved hands. "Is this what you normally would do to all of your enemies, brother mine?"

"Ha?" Dante blinks, releasing the dagger. "You mean the dagger?"

"No."

And in a blink, Dante feels tussled, grabbed, and now his back is on the ground, his hands being pinned by Vergil's stronger grip. He yelps, looking up to see Vergil looking over him. The dagger is now in Vergil's other hand- how!? Dante struggles, but Vergil presses his weight on him.

Oh **fuck.**

"This very provocative way of taunting your enemies." Vergil calmly asks. His eyes are honed in, burning through Dante's skin. Vergil's hand tightens around Dante's wrists. "Should I envy them? Or should I be relieved that you managed to frighten them this way?"

"W-What the hell are you envying them for?" Dante stutters, his face suddenly warm. Fuck, Vergil is close. He even feels how warm the other really is, the deep tremor of the draconic rumble, and... how gentle Vergil is approaching him. "I don't-" He barely shifts his head to see his dagger. "Aren't you going to use that?"

Vergil hums and Dante suppresses his shivers. Fuck, he can feel that. "This weapon? I definitely didn't see this in your possessions when we first met." His gaze meet Dante's again, this time with a hint of suspicion. "I wonder, brother mine, what else are you hiding in that mind of yours that you won't tell me."

"Are you serious? I thought you got most answers that you wanted!" Dante seethes, trying to get out, but Vergil leans down, wearing a dark expression as he leans down. Dante's heartbeat skips, trying to figure out what Vergil is doing, what is he up to, oh gods please don't make this his last moment of his life-

"Not everything can be revealed at once. If I can get you to tell me, then I will let you know my secrets in return." Dante swears Vergil is extremely close; he can feel the other's cool breath tickling his skin. "I will know, Dante mine, what you are planning."

 _You better fucking not!_ The knight silently screams, hearing how rapid his heartbeat is. His face is completely flushed, trying to figure out what to do now. This is getting tense, he definitely does not want Vergil to-

"Dante?"

"Y-Yeah?" Dante squeaks.

Vergil furrows his brows, lifting himself up. "Are you all right?"

"I'm." _Not fine, holy shit, how are you maintaining yourself like this while I'm- fuck, fuck fuck calm down, Dante, he was only doing this to scare you._ Dante manages to sit up, breathes in deep before clearing his throat. His face is still warm, feeling the other's warmth still. "I'm fine. Really."

Vergil glances down at him, an unreadable expression on his face. "If you say so."

"Good-"

"Though I will have to keep this." Vergil eyes Dante's dagger, causing Dante to scramble up and attempt to take the slim blade back. "If you don't mind."

"I do mind, thank you very much!" Dante scrambles to grab it again, but Vergil sidesteps him. "What the hell, give it back!"

"I believe you don't need this weapon." Vergil inspects it again. "Since you already presented your capabilities with Rebellion and with your magic."

"Like hell I would-" Dante attempts to grab it again. "It's important that I keep it, you dipshit!"

"And why would you have this on you?"

"Because it's important to me!" Dante is about to take it, but he sees an ice sword appears and feels the frigid tip at his neck. "...really, Vergil? It's just a dagger."

"A dagger," Vergil echoes, a scowl appearing on his face. "That I do not recognize. Who gave it to you?"

Dante stills before he grumbles, "...Nevan. It's a gift she gave me after I saved her and Lady's life. I've used it a couple of times." He gasps. "Give it back to me. Please."

Vergil glares at the blade, stalling for a few seconds before Dante hears a snap. He feels the frozen blade fade away and then he feels the dagger on his hand. Dante heaves in relief, placing the dagger back in its sheath, but feels Vergil's eyes on the weapon. "What?"

"Nothing." Vergil sounds irritated. But he takes out Yamato and Dante groans. "Again."

"I thought training's done after I land one hit on you!" Dante gawks.

Vergil scoffs, "But it wasn't with either Rebellion or with your magic projections. What you did is playing dirty." He snaps his fingers and Vergil's magic swords appear again, recovered and well. "Well?"

Dante tries not to scream in ire, but he does feel something in him flare with interest. The want to fight his twin again is still there and Dante scowls. "...fine. Since you're going to not stop pestering me about it until I agree, I'll keep going." He withdraws Rebellion and gets into one of his stances. "Let's go. I'll keep beating you until you admit I've improved, and I won that last one."

He swears Vergil looks delighted at this. "Then try again, brother mine. I dare you, defeat me."

Dante grips and lunges first.

* * *

"Fuck." Dante groans, his head in his pillow. He has washed and changed to more comfortable clothing after getting out of his dirty ones. "That was worse than I thought."

"Are you complaining about your training, Dante?"

Dante scrambles up to see Vergil against the open door, clean and unscathed. "What the- are you trying to scare me?"

"No." Vergil strides over to hand Dante yet another set of clothing, to which he begrudgingly accepts. "I want to check on you."

"If you want to know about the scar, it's still the same when you last checked on it." Dante scowls, showing his left hand. "Though about your clothes-"

"It's like I said, the ones I am giving are yours." Vergil states, taking Dante's left hand before undoing his bandages. "I have excess clothing."

"Somehow, I am not sure about that." Dante grumbles, swearing he sees a hint of red peeking out from his clothing. "Look, how much are they? I know they are expensive and all-"

"Dante." He feels Vergil tighten his hand. "You don't have to pay me back."

"Then how can I-"

"As I told you last time, let me do this." Vergil's voice is quiet all of the sudden. There is some semblance of concern in his expression and Dante notices his jaws tighten. "If there is anything I want to do, this is one of them."

"By... letting me have some of your clothing?" The knight asks, a bit suspicious. "What else are you planning to do?

Vergil doesn't respond. Instead, he inspects the scar before gently tracing it with his finger. Dante lightly winces, still feeling some tenderness and Vergil looks at him, surprised. "It hurts still."

"It doesn't." Dante mutters, still feeling the gentle trace of Vergil's touch. He attempts to ignore it, the same for Vergil's stare. "I'm used to fighting with pain-"

"Brother mine." Vergil states, his eyes narrowing a bit. "If it hurts again, tell me. I can stop training until you fully recover."

Dante gapes at him. Then he scowls, "What for? To see what I'll do on my time off or for more of your interrogation? Or-"

The noble's soft draconic growl sends a warning for Dante to stop talking. "My intentions to you are not as severe as you believe it to be. Nor are they malicious."

"Then what are you up to?" Dante asks. It sounds like a plea, but he wants to know what Vergil's motives are. "Why are you doing this to me?" _Why are you so hellbent to do all of this? You don't want me to leave, you don't want me to get hurt, despite me remembering you not wanting anything to do with me when we were kids, when you and Father left me and Mother on our own..._

He feels Vergil's hands withdraw a bit before they are on him again. And this time, he feels him wrapping new bandages around his left hand, albeit intentionally slow. "What Father wanted for me was to take his place, to be his successor when he passes on. I accepted it fine. But his plans for you weren't the same. And that was when I reacted, silently vowing to search for you and take you in."

"But you didn't know Mother died, did you?" Dante asks. He can feel Vergil's digits run through the bandages, tracing where his scar is. "Or that I became like this?"

"Even then..." Vergil finishes wrapping the bandages. He lowers Dante's hand, but doesn't let go of it. Instead, his expression returns to its indifferent look, facing Dante. "Dinner will be ready soon. I expect you to be ready."

Dante sighs, thinning his lips. He barely tugs his hand away and Vergil lets go. "...right. I'll look decent."

Vergil hums, about to leave when he glances at Dante's desk. The knight stiffens, hoping that Vergil doesn't see the books he grabbed from the other's library that he manages to stuff into his bag. "Brother mine."

"What?" Panic slowly sets in, Dante already wants to hide the books he and Griffon found-

"You mentioned before you like mead." Vergil turns to him, his lips tilted a bit upward. "I managed to procure a few bottles."

Oh. Dante blinks, slowly realizing that he did mention that a few nights before. "Huh. From... your supplier, I take it?"

"Of course, who else would I take business with?" The vicious tilt is back, but it is subtle. "I hope it tastes good as you make it out to be."

"Believe me, it's better than wine on most occasions." Dante mutters, but he can't help but smile. Imagine that, the asshole prick of a bratty dragon managed to find a bottle of mead. "Thanks."

(A slow warmth of satisfaction blooms in Vergil's chest hearing Dante thank him. A good start, then, to repair their bond.)


End file.
